The Wheel and the Great Tomb of Nazarick
by BUFBUODA
Summary: An unexpected turning of the Wheel joins the New World to the Wheel of Time Universe, and at least one other. Main characters are the same. OCs added as supporting characters.
1. Chapter 1

**The Wheel and the Great Tomb of Nazarick**

**A FAN FICTION BY BUF_BUODA **

**CHAPTER ONE: An Unexpected Turn**

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_**AN**: This is my first Fanfic. I'm a huge fan of the Overlord Series, and the Wheel of time series (and own none of them, obviously). Big shout out to atheistbasementdragon. His "God Rising" universe is also a big influence on me. Thanks to those who helped me beta this, especially to everyone on the Overlord Fanfiction Discord server. I'd greatly appreciate useful reviews: critical or otherwise, and will try to respond to those I find especially useful. Please be patient with me, I will try and improve my writing as I go on. I'll try to put up at least one update every month; will probably be more, but definitely won't be less (demanding job irl). BTW, certain scenes in this first chapter are just lifted with minimal editing from the Eye of the World. RJ wrote it best, and I didn't feel at liberty to change it too much since i was using the same scene. Thanks once again_

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Lan's cloak flapped in the wind that blew from the direction of the Blight, sometimes making him hard to see even in the sunlight. Ingtar and the hundred lances Lord Agelmar had sent to escort them to the border, in case they met a Trolloc raid, were riding back hard, hoping to get in on the action at Tarwin's gap. They had looked grand, but it was the towers that had held the attention of the boys with Moraine.

Each tower stood tall and solid atop a hill, about half a mile from its neighbor. East and west others rose, and more beyond those. A broad, walled ramp spiralled around each stone shaft, winding all the way around by the time it reached the heavy gates halfway to the crenellated top. A sortie from the garrison would be protected by the wall until it reached the ground, but enemies striving to reach the gate would climb under a hail of arrows and stones and hot oil from the big kettles poised on the outward flaring ramparts above. A large steel mirror, carefully turned down, away from the sun, now, glittered atop each tower below the high iron cup where signal fires could be lit when the sun did not shine. The signal would be flashed, to towers further from the Border, and by those to still others, and so relayed to the heartland fortresses, from where the lances would ride to turn back the raid. Were times normal, they would.

From the two nearest tower tops men had watched them. Just a few men on each, peering curiously through the crenels. In the best of times the towers were only manned enough for self-defense, depending more on stone walls than strong arms to survive, but every man who could be spared, and more, was riding to Tarwin's Gap. It was a sobering thought. The fall of the towers would not matter if the lances failed to hold the Gap.

Lan had shivered as they rode between the towers. This was the Border. The land beyond looked no different from Shienar, but out there, somewhere beyond the leafless trees, was the Blight, and he imagined that it called him. He thought back to the exchange before Ingtar had left them...

_Ingtar lifted a steel fist to halt the lances short of a plain stone post in sight of the towers. A borderpost, marking the boundary between Shienar and what once was Malkier. "Your pardon, Moiraine Aes Sedai. Pardon, Dai Shan. Pardon, Builder. Lord Agelmar commanded me to go no further." He sounded unhappy about it, disgruntled at life in general._

_"That is as we planned, Lord Agelmar and I," Moiraine said._

_Ingtar grunted sourly. "Pardon, Aes Sedai," he apologized, not sounding as if he meant it. "To escort you here means we may not reach the Gap before the fighting is done. I am robbed of the chance to stand with the rest, and at the same time I am commanded not to ride one step beyond the borderpost, as if I had never before been in the Blight. And My Lord Agelmar will not tell me why." Behind the bars of his face-guard, his eyes turned the last word into a question to the Aes Sedai. He scorned to look at Rand and the others; he had learned they would accompany Lan into the Blight._

_"He can have my place," Mat muttered to Rand. Lan gave them both a sharp look. Mat dropped his eyes, his face turning red._

The boy was afraid - and who wouldn't be? Yet his trickster heart made him… unstable. He didn't know why Moraine put her eggs in _that _particular basket - or rather, he knew, but didn't have to like it. But he was a sword; a sword needs only to cut. Besides, Perrin and Rand were more reliable, and could rein Mat in - probably.

"Lan? Let go." At Moraine's words, he heeled Mandarb to a walk and took point. "Remember," he said to the others over his shoulder, "do not touch anything."

Perrin felt nothing but ever increasing rage as the warder led them deeper. The corruption, the sense of wrongness was so palpable that he'd started caressing his axe without knowing, glaring at everything around him. Loial had wrapped his nose and mouth with a scarf, despite the heat. Mat had emptied his stomach over the side of his mount more than twice. Rand had the beginning of the implacable face that was a feature of the warder. But all he felt was anger.

Lan's voice broke through the rage,

"The real blight lies ahead," he said. He was responding to a question that Perrin missed. "There are things in the blight that hunt by sound. Keep up, and stay quiet if you want to live."

The heat did not abate even though the bloody sun fell toward the horizon. In the distance to the north, the mountains rose higher than the fabled Mountains of Mist, black against the sky. Sometimes an icy wind from the sharp peaks gusted far enough to reach them. The torrid humidity leached away most of the mountain chill, but what remained was winter-cold compared to the sweltering it replaced, if just for a moment. The sweat on Perrin's face seemed to flash into beads of ice; as the wind died, the beads melted again, running angry lines down his cheeks, and the thick heat returned harder than before by comparison. For the instant the wind surrounded them, it swept away the fetor, yet he would have done without that, too, if he could have. The cold was the chill of the grave, and it carried the dusty must of an old, newly opened tomb.

As night fell, the warder began to look worried. He slowed down and fell back to walk his horse at the same pace with Moraine, and they put their heads together to discuss. Perrin's ears could pick out the concern in the voice of the warder.

"There's a place to camp not too far from here," Moraine said as she spoke loudly enough for the party to hear. "Moving at night is suicide, and we will need the rest against tomorrow". As usual, her musical voice didn't carry a hint of tension. She might as well have been in a garden having tea.

Egwene guided Bela after the warder as he angled them westward. The part of his exchange with Moraine they heard made it seem like he knew _the place _Moraine referred to when mentioning their prospective campsite, and he led them at the same brisk pace he'd maintained all day.

Nothing could have prepared her for the blight - or so she thought till the warder casually mentioned that they'd be in the _real Blight _by tomorrow. She glanced at Nynaeve when the warder said that, but the moonstruck woman was fairly drooling at the warder's shoulders as he rode - not like she'd ever accept that that was what she was doing. But then, she didn't really care about the other woman - at least not now. How could a woman moon _all day_? Her stomach felt empty and hollowed out - she'd thrown up until there was nothing but dry retches. The entire Blight - damn whatever the warder said about real or not - the entire thing was an unrelenting assault on the senses.

The sun was a mostly red ball that was just touching the treetops when they crested a hill and the Warder drew rein. Beyond them to the west lay a network of lakes, the waters glittering darkly in the slanting sunlight, like beads of random size on a necklace of many strings. In the distance, circled by the lakes, stood jagged-topped hills, thick in the creeping shadows of evening. The Warder was dismounting, his face with all the emotional expressiveness of a stone, and everyone was quick to do so too.

"Couldn't we camp down by the lakes?" Nynaeve asked, patting her face with her kerchief. "It must be cooler down by the water."

"Light," Mat said, "I'd just like to stick my head in one of them. I might never take it out."

For one brief moment, the absurdity of agreeing with Mat occurred to her, but she didn't care. They were all fixated on the lake, which was why they clearly saw dark waters roiling as a large body rolled just beneath the surface. Lengths as thick as a man sent ripples across the lake and a tail with a stinger as long as a leg and covered with tentacles waved lazily before slipping in quietly into the waters.

Egwene couldn't look away until the _thing_ disappeared, and when it did, she tore her eyes back to the warder who hadn't stopped dismounting, not even to answer them. Loial sighed quietly behind her - if a bumblebee the size of a horse could be quiet.

"I will set wards around our site," Moraine said as she dismounted. Her voice galvanized them from their shock and got them moving, at least all of them except Mat.

"A ward?" He started rudely.

"Can't it be a real barrier? Something that size will rip through any ward!" His voice had gotten shrill towards the end.

"You're a fool, Matrim Cauthon," snapped Nynaeve at the same time Egwene hissed at the uncultured lout.

"What?" He protested under the combined gazes of the three women. The rest of the men had joined the warder to make camp.

"A barrier would keep most things out," began the Aes Sedai in her musical voice that just gave the impression that Mat was stupid for even mentioning it.

"However, we'd wake up with the whole blight at our door and waiting to chomp us up." Moraine continued."I hope I don't need to explain why that's a bad idea to you too?" Mat reddened and hurried off to join the rest, hunching over and staying as far away from the Aes Sedai as he could. Insufferable lout.

Rand and Mat and Perrin helped Lan unsaddle and hobble the horses while the others began setting up the camp. Loial muttered to himself as he set up the Warder's tiny stove, but his thick fingers moved deftly. He'd been unusually quiet - Rand couldn't remember him uttering up to 20 words. Egwene was humming as she filled the tea kettle from a bulging water bag. Rand no longer wondered why the Warder had insisted on bringing so many full waterskins.

Setting the bay's saddle in line with the others, he unfastened his saddlebags and blanket roll from the cantle, turned, and stopped, fear coursing through him. The Ogier and the women were gone. So was the stove and all the wicker panniers from the packhorse. The hilltop was empty except for evening shadows.

With a numb hand he fumbled for his sword, dimly hearing Mat curse. Perrin had his axe out, his shaggy head swiveling to find the danger.

"Sheepherders," Lan muttered. Unconcernedly the Warder strode across the hilltop, and at his third step, he vanished.

Rand exchanged wide-eyed looks with Mat and Perrin, and then they were all darting for where the Warder had disappeared. Abruptly Rand skidded to a halt, taking another step when Mat ran into his back. Egwene looked up from setting the kettle atop the tiny stove. Nynaeve was closing the mantle on a second lit lantern. They were all there, Moiraine sitting cross-legged, Lan lounging on an elbow, Loial taking a book out of his pack.

Cautiously Rand looked behind him. The hillside was there as it had been, the shadowed trees, the lakes beyond sinking into darkness. He was afraid to step back, afraid they would all disappear again and perhaps this time he would not be able to find them. Edging carefully around him, Perrin let out a long breath.

Moiraine noticed the three of them standing there, gaping. Perrin looked abashed, and slipped his axe back into the heavy belt loop as if he thought no one might notice. A smile touched her lips. "It is a simple thing," she said, "a bending, so any eye looking at us sees around us, instead. Our scents will be muted and dull. The sounds of our camp will also disperse, and will sound like it's coming from much further than it actually is. We cannot have the eyes that will be out there sensing our presence tonight, and the Blight is no place to be in the dark."

"Moiraine Sedai says I might be able to do it." Egwene's eyes were bright, and her enthusiasm was fairly bursting out of her. "She says I can handle enough of the One Power right now."

"Not without training, child," Moiraine cautioned. "The simplest matter concerning the One Power can be dangerous to the untrained, and to those around them." Perrin snorted, and Egwene looked so uncomfortable that Rand wondered if she had already been trying her abilities.

Nynaeve set down the lantern. Together with the tiny flame of the stove, the pair of lanterns gave a generous light. "When you go to Tar Valon, Egwene," she said carefully, "perhaps I'll go with you." The look she gave Moiraine was strangely defensive. "It will do her good to see a familiar face among strangers. She'll need someone to advise her besides Aes Sedai."

"Perhaps that would be for the best, Wisdom," Moiraine said simply.

Egwene laughed and clapped her hands. "Oh, that will be wonderful. And you, Rand. You'll come, too, won't you?" He paused in the act of sitting across the stove from her, then slowly lowered himself. He thought her eyes had never been bigger, or brighter, or more beautiful. Spots of color appeared in her cheeks, and she gave a small laugh. "Perrin, Mat, you two will come, won't you? We'll all be together." Mat gave a grunt that could have signified anything, and Perrin only shrugged, but she took it for assent. "You see, Rand. We'll all be together."

_Together. _Rand tasted the word, but the words he'd heard once from the boyish beauty kept coming unbidden, spoiling his enjoyment of the word.

They turned in quickly - Loial first, then Egwene, and it seemed like he just shut his eyes before he heard the Warder wake him with a terse "Sheepherder".

His eyes jerked open, the grass tickling the back of his neck where…

The grass…

He jumped to his feet and looked around, his eyes going as wide as they could. All around him, life teemed in a forest that was obviously not the blight.

They were obviously not on the hillside they camped on last night. Nynaeve was uncharacteristically quiet as the warder and _that woman _argued with their heads together. They _were _arguing, she decided. Normally, she'd be delighted with anything that puts a rift between the Aes Sedai and Lan - even if she'd never admit it to herself. But there were bigger problems now; like how she could not recognize _any_ of the plants in this forest. Some of the trees were vaguely familiar, but the undergrowth was just like something from the stories of a gleeman - and a drunk one at that. The colours were normal, and they didn't look at all like the sickly abominations in the blight, but that was it. Every other thing was different.

She glanced over at Egwene, the woman she'd thought would be her understudy as a Wisdom. The poor girl's eyes were full of fear. She wrapped her arms around herself, as though to hold herself together physically.

"It's amazing, Moiraine Sedai!"

Nynaeve nearly jumped out of her skin as the Ogier boomed out his opinion. His face could barely conceal his excitement, what with his saucer eyes alight with curiosity, and his ears quivering in delight.

Irritation at her reaction to the surprise bubbled up, and she gripped her braid to stop herself from taking it out on the Ogier.

"How exactly is this," she began, gesturing around her vaguely.

"How is this _amazing_?"

Alright, maybe she couldn't keep all the irritation out of her voice.

Tugging to face the Ogier, she began to pull her braid as she continued, ticking off points with the tone of her voice.

"We're in the middle of nowhere. Our business at the eye of the world is now on hold for who knows how long. We don't even know if this "nowhere" even exists like we know."

Gritting her teeth, she fairly growled out her next statement to the much chastised Ogier.

"Tell me how any of this is amazing, Loial."

"The Wisdom is right," said Moiraine, raising her voice and addressing them all.

An almost childish annoyance flashed through Nynaeve as the Aes Sedai agreed with her. Gripping her braid even harder, she jumped on it mentally till the annoyance was gone.

"However, before I continue, I would like to know what made you say that, Loial." Moiraine continued.

The excitement on Loial's face had disappeared as Nynaeve tore into him. Now, he looked completely dejected at the Aes Sedai's request, though he cleared his throat to answer.

"The land is not in pain anymore," said Loial.

"I see," replied Moraine, her eyes going out of focus as she thought.

"This is definite proof that wherever we are right now is a completely different world from where we're used to," continued Moiraine.

"Lan will scout a bit around us, and when he has some idea of where this is, we will decide on a course of action."

The warder was already on his horse and leaving their encampment at a walk before the Aes Sedai finished the statement.

"Blood and bloody ashes," muttered Mat. How fitting that the first words from the lout's mouth should be dirty ones.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Wheel and the Great Tomb of Nazarick **

**A FAN FICTION BY BUF_BUODA **

**CHAPTER TWO: A New Turn**

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_AN: Hello! As usual, I own neither Overlord, nor the Wheel of Time series. Many thanks to all who helped proof this - online and offline. I'm happy that people expressed interest in this fic by following. Min'na arigato. I have some important irl events this weekend, so I might not upload - but I did tell everyone that uploads would be monthly lol. _

_As usual, I'd appreciate your critiques - even if it's just 2 chapters in. And your appreciation, of course._

_All Hail Ainz Ooal Gown!_

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Elan Morin Tedronai arrived at Shayol Ghul and made his way to the pit of doom. As he walked down the stone passage, the top of the passageway expanded upwards - so high he couldn't not see it - a sure sign of the favor of his master. As counter-intuitive as that was, reality was putty here in the place of power of the great Lord of the Dark. He arrived at the pool of nothing - the only physical manifestation of the Great Lord - and abased himself, grinding his face into the ground.

"**ELAN**," the voice of his master tore through him. "**DID YOU FEEL THE CHANGE?**"

Elan rarely thought of himself as that anymore, but the thought never crossed his mind. He ground himself into the dirt even more. "No, great Lord," there was no use lying to his master.

"**REALITY FEELS… LARGER,**" came the impossible reply from his master.

_'Larger?'_ thought Elan - or Ishamael, as men called him now.

"**YOU WILL INVESTIGATE THIS. I WILL RELEASE MY ESSENCE TO YOU NO LONGER UNTIL YOU SUCCEED.**"

"Master," Elan replied "I am currently on the fools looking for the Nym. I fear I might be unable to divide my attention and get optimal results." The motivation of losing access to the True Power might have driven him, but not when balanced with the prospect of failing at the overarching mission handed him by his master.

"**FEAR NOT,**" said his master "**THEY ARE IN THE BLIGHT, MY PLACE OF POWER. I WILL PERSONALLY TAKE CARE OF THEM. THE SEALS HAVE BEEN WEAKENED ENOUGH. WITH THIS NEW… POSITION, IT FEELS MUCH EASIER TO DO THIS…**"

Reality flexed.

Elan didn't know what his master had done, though he could guess. He kept himself in the dirt, awaiting his master's will.

_He can casually reach outside the Bore, and anywhere in the Blight now_, thought Elan, the unfamiliar feeling of unease worming its way into his heart.

"**THEY WILL NOT BE A NUISANCE AGAIN - FOR NOW,**" said the Great Lord.

"**NOW GO!**"

Just like that, Elan found himself on the slopes of Shayol Ghul again. He reached for Saidin as he rose, mastering the familiar balance on the razor's edge now that the True Power was no longer available to him, and he traveled. There was work to be done, and it would be a matter akin to a delicate dance to master the new game as his master required.

Ingtar finally felt the most peace since that cursed day when he betrayed the light and swore to serve the dark one. The betrayals he'd been ordered to carry out seared his soul, even though they started out as only little things. He'd thought there would be no redemption.

His hope for redemption was rekindled now that he and his unit made it to Tarwin's gap in time to die. None may walk so long in the dark that he cannot turn to the light. He prayed fervently that it was true.

They were not dead yet though.

The situation was dire. Waves upon waves of shadow spawn pressed the army at the gap, and though the Shienerans turned them back time and time again, it was a battle of attrition they'd never win. Lord Agelmar had sent men back to the keep, and all the way to the capital. It had been evident after the first six hours that this trolloc army could not be turned back. The nation had started to evacuate, but they all knew and felt it in their bones. This was the end. The men at the gap were going to hold till they died, buying valuable time. But with hope of reinforcement weeks away, it would mean that nothing could change the fate of Shienar.

_River of light _took the head of a fade as Ingtar danced his horse back from its death throes - Fades never died easy. How ironic that he could use the form after what he had done. He cackled, feeling despair crushing him out of the void as the trollocs linked to the fade fell and trashed, dying. He threw his head back and laughed out loud. He would never gain salvation. How could he think otherwise? How could he hope to be saved after he had betrayed the light?

He felt a blow to his shoulder that knocked him back and brought him back from the edge of despair, at least for the moment. An arrow jutted from his arm, and pain beat upon him, along with the exhaustion that had been waiting for him now the protection of the void was gone. Barely clinging to the saddle, he guided the mount from the front line as more men rushed in to fill the gap. The Fade's death bought them a few moments, and the Shieneran heavy cavalry disengaged and wheeled away, leaving the foot to deal with mopping up the surviving trollocs.

"You need a healer," said Uno as he guided his mount besides Ingtar's.

Grunting, Ingtar acquiesced, leaving the unit once they formed up again, and making his way to the overworked healers.

"You're fortunate it went clean through," said the healer as he bandaged up the wound now that the arrow was removed.

"Hopefully it doesn't fester. Off with you now,"

Ingtar nodded his thanks and strode from the tent. There was no Aes Sedai to heal it completely - not that he would bother her for something so minor in the first place. Pain must be endured, and his unit was waiting for him.

Lan kept Mandarb at a walk as he rode away from the encampment, spiraling outwards as he scouted, and using his bond as an orienting point. His sword was sheathed, but his hand was on the hilt and he kept a careful watch. His face was hard and unyielding, yet his thoughts were troubled. He had been the first to notice the anomaly - their campsite had moved, or… He wasn't actually sure _what _the alternative could be.

At first, he thought the Green Man had found them. Rousing Moiraine, his ambivalence sharpened to wariness once he noticed her unease.

"I do not know where we are, Lan."

She had admitted it quietly, pitched low for just his ears.

Those words had rung every alarm bell in his head.

The horse tensed under him, and Lan immediately relaxed. Mandarb was picking up on his unease, and that wouldn't do.

He assumed the void, welcoming the increased awareness that came with it. That was what saved his life.

From the corner of his eyes, he sensed more than saw _something_ hurtling towards him. He twisted as he began to draw, and felt the slam of ridges on his shoulder, and the fire of cuts drawn down his arm as the weight carried him clean off his mount and crashing to the ground. Mandarb kicked out instinctively, connecting with the weight on him and smashing the thing into a nearby tree. Struggling to his feet, Lan drew his sword as he sank deeper into the void, observing the monstrosity that scrambled to its feet.

It looked like a wolf, but intelligence burned in its eyes. Black flecks floated around the creature, and a broken chain wound around its neck and down its body. The chain shifted and twitched like a tail, and the thing moved, circling the man and his horse, and favoring its right side where Mandarb's hooves had connected.

Could he kill it? Those were thought that floated outside the void. In the void, there was no thought.

He moved along with Mandarb, tracking the thing, keeping it in front of him always. Mandarb positioned to provide himself an opportunity to lash out with his hooves.

The thing came towards him, flowing like a shadow, eerily silent. Lan held his blade up, one with the earth, with Mandarb, with the beast that rushed at him. With a powerful leap, the beast flew at his face. He flowed, and the thing twisted mid leap, trying to compensate.

Crunch

It was not used to killing people like him. If it was, it would have realized that the warhorse was as much a weapon as his blade. It had moved into range of Mandarb's hooves, and they collided with the skull with a sickening crunch, slamming the thing to the ground. It rolled, barely avoiding being crushed by the horse, and straight into Lan's blade where _Leaf On The Breeze _took off the top of its skull.

Shaking the gore off his blade, Lan knelt to examine the carcass. It had already started disintegrating. The chains were crumbling, and the black flecks were carried away on the wind. Grunting, Lan remounted and didn't bother sheathing his sword.

He set out again, eyes alert. As he rode, he could feel eyes on him, watching, yet nothing attacked him again.

He'd been riding for a while before he found a trail. It looked like a worn path, indicating that it saw frequent use. He eased Mandarb to a canter, and followed the trail until it joined a bigger road. Then he turned and began to make his way back to the camp.

It had taken the better part of the morning for Lan to return. The Warder galloped into camp, dismounting and heading straight for Moiraine Sedai.

With great effort, Egwene calmed herself again. The Warder wasn't frowning more than usual - that was just his normal face. Rising, she followed the warder to where Moiraine sat, and saw that the others had the same idea as well. The Aes Sedai saw them coming and raised her voice enough to reach them all.

"Lan," she asked "what news?"

"Wherever we are, it is not familiar - as we guessed," replied the hard man. "I found a road further ahead, and we can make it there in a little time," the warder said.

Egwene looked around. Everyone was staring intently at the Warder, as though to catch his words as he spoke them. Perrin was caressing his axe again, and Rand had the hilt of his sword gripped hard. Mat was crouched low, eyes hooded and hands under his cloak. Only Loial seemed at peace. The ogier was strangely content.

"Let's go," said the Aes Sedai. "I do not want us to camp outdoors tonight if we can help it."

The woman suited her own words and was in the saddle before she had finished talking. The rest of them rushed to their mounts - they'd been ready to move since Lan left scouting.

They followed the Warder through the woods as he went into greater detail about what he saw. The story of the wolf thing was terrifying, and surprisingly, or maybe not, Perrin had reacted the strongest. She was with him when they met Elyas after all. They were all silent following Lan, but the strangest was Mat. He looked as though he was contracting into himself, and his hands were constantly under his cloak. Egwene watched him warily, remembering he still carried the infected dagger.

_Could that be affecting him again? _thought the girl as she guided Bela with her knees. Loial walked beside them, leading his horse. The ogier were proud of their own feet, and rarely used animals. Loial himself would only ride under extreme circumstances.

As they got to the road, the Aes Sedai looked back at them and warned them,

"If we meet anyone, hold your tongues. We have no idea what is going on here, and your silence will be the difference between life and death - literally."

They settled into a walk, Lan taking point, and Moiraine behind him. Loial brought up the rear, and Mat skulked just in front of him.

They traveled for a bit, and Lan left them intermittently, going ahead to scout their way and the woods beside the path, and coming back to confer with Moiraine before riding off again. This time though, he didn't leave again. After conferring with Moiraine, he fell beside her, riding side by side.

Moiraine addressed them again.

"There's a village up ahead just beyond that bend. As before, I will be called mistress Alys. Lan, master Andra. You all are our travelling companions"

Her eyes sharpened as she looked them over.

"Trust no one. Stay alert. We do not know what is going on. No one should go off alone, no matter what."

Her gaze lingered over them as she watched her words sink in. Satisfied, she faced forward just as they came upon the village.

It was pretty strange looking for a village. For one, there was a sturdy, high wall around the village, and there were no structures outside the wall. It was bizarre - villages were not walled so extensively. There was a watchtower stationed overlooking the gate, and 2 heads observing them. They looked small, as though they belonged to children. But the truly strange thing was that the skin looked greenish - probably some type of paint or art. As they got closer, Egwene noted with rising alarm that the heads were much stranger than she originally thought. For one, the eyes were tiny - much tinier than normal eyes. The ears were flat against a head so muscular it was nearly deformed. The eyes were hooded by the heavy brows, so much that they appeared to be black. The mouth was wide, and fangs peeked from the lower jaw over the upper lip.

The party slowed down as they approached the gate, and stopped just out of bow shot. It was then that Egwene absently noted that bows _were_ trained on them.

"Who are you?" called a harsh voice.

"We are travelers," called Moiraine, the cool, casual authority in her voice evident.

"We seem to have lost our way due to some strange circumstances, and would like to get information and supplies, and maybe some lodging here."

"Please be patient lady. We have sent for big sister," the voice replied.

A blonde girl came running, surrounded by more green little men with weapons. They were definitely "men" - regardless of their height.

"Big sister!" The little men at the gate cheered the blonde girl. She smiled at them, then turned to the newcomers.

"Uwaaa! What is that?!" the girl shouted as she pointed at Loial.

The ogier was flustered, but managed a very refined bow as he introduced himself.

"I am Loial, and I am an ogier. It is nice to meet you miss?"

The girl blushed.

"I - I am Enri. Enri Emmot. Welcome to Carne village," she said, with an awkward but pleasant smile. "Seems you are travelers. I am sorry for being rude, Loial san. Come in! Come in!"

The green men cleared and allowed the wide eyed party into the village. It looked like there had been a battle recently at the gates. On the other side, there was the wreckage of a watchtower which had been smashed. Some of the roofs were damaged, and one house had burnt completely.

The blonde girl and a relatively larger green man escorted them through the village.

"This is Jugem. He and his brothers have been of great help to our small village," Enri continued as she led them into the village.

"Enri sama," began Jugem, sounding scandalized. "You are our summoner! Of course we would do the best we can!"

The exchange fascinated Egwene, not least because she _still_ did not know who the green men were, or what a _Summoner_ was.

"There was a battle here, miss Enri?" Moiraine asked.

"Yes there was a battle - if you can call it that, stranger san. We were attacked by trolls." Enri said.

"You may call me Alys," said the Aes Sedai, picking up on the awkward way of addressing her as 'stranger'.

Taking her cue, the others introduced themselves.

"I'm Andra," said Lan, using the pseudonym that paired with Moiraine's "Alys".

"I'm Nynaeve," said the braided woman briskly.

"And these are Rand, Perrin, Mat, Egwene, and Loial," she continued, introducing them as she pointed, and taking charge as the 'leader' of the Emond fielders.

"Pleased to meet you all," Enri said with a smile.

_What under the light is a troll? _thought Egwene.

Moiraine just nodded as though she understood as Lan cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, but what are you, Jugem?" asked Lan casually.

"Eh?" replied Jugem, confusion painted on his face.

"Ah, we don't have any people like you where we come from," said Lan. The slightly embarrassed look and tone of voice coming from the warder was totally shocking to the Emond fielders. Even Mat shook himself out of his gloom, shock on his face.

Jugem seemed to relax though.

"Ah, we're goblins. We were summoned by big sis here, and we help the village…"

"Hmm yes," said Enri.

"We were saved by a kind magic caster - Ainz Ooal Gown sama - when we were attacked by soldiers some time back. He gave me the means to summon goblins if I need them, and I summoned Jugem and his brothers to help around in the village."

Looking around, she waved her hands vaguely, as if to take in everything.

"He helped us with all this, even when our own Kingdom doesn't seem to care about us."

"I see," replied Lan, still looking more expressive than the Emond fielders had ever seen him.

"He must be a powerful 'magic caster'," continued Lan.

"He is," replied Enri with another smile.

They made their way to Enri's house, and she allowed them stable their horses in her barn.

"Those are beautiful horses, Andra san, Alys san," sighed Enri as they led their horses in. With a smile, Moiraine expressed her thanks.

"Rand, Perrin, Mat, please help us take care of the horses," Moiraine said in a voice that made it clear it wasn't a request.

"Andra," she said as she pulled her blue shawl around her. "Let's go and talk with miss Enri."

The two of them followed Enri into the house as Jugem took his leave.

The strangers were the strangest strangers Enri had ever seen. For starters, they did not look like anyone around the area. They were very obviously foreigners. Their clothes were cut in different styles, even though they were quite similar. The woman Alys wore what she'd always imagined ladies wore in the capital. Andra san looked like a soldier, yet dressed like a prince. The cloak around him was luxurious and seemed to change color - sometimes a green so dark it was nearly black, sometimes a brown that would fade in the woods. His sword was also strange.

All that was nothing compared to the thing that called itself 'Loyal'. It was huge - almost ten feet tall, with eyes like teacups, and long, tufted ears. Broad nose, and a wide mouth, yet a cultured manner about it by its speech. She had embarrassed herself in the manner she addressed it.

The strangers referred to themselves by their names without any honorifics.

'_Could they be that close to one another, despite how they looked?'_ she thought to herself. She dismissed that idea. After all, they also referred to her and Jugem without honorifics.

All that should have been cause for suspicion. Yet she was not too concerned about her safety. Lupusregina Beta was currently in the village, and she was confident the Nazarick maid could handle the small party without too much incident.

'_Something is going on,'_ Enri thought to herself. _'This is my chance to be useful to Ainz sama and begin to pay him back for how he has helped our village!'_

With that mindset, the girl set her mind towards finding out as much as she could, as discreetly as she could manage.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Wheel and the Great Tomb of Nazarick**

**A FAN FICTION BY BUF_BUODA**

CHAPTER THREE

* * *

_AN: Insert Usual Disclaimers. _

_Hi! Compliments of the season. I'm back from the RL issues I had to sort out, and I hope to have more time for the fanfic this holiday season._

_** Cataquack warrior** Thanks for the review, and hope I live up to your interest. I'll be fixing the honorific issue going forward. Forgive the slight grammar errors *sigh*. I'll try my best to minimize them._

_Forgive my weird (in my mind) impressions of the characters. I'll hopefully improve as the fic grows._

_To all the new follows, thank you very much for your interest._

* * *

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

[Spells]

_['Message content']_

* * *

Mat felt the weight of the dagger on his waist where it hung. Such a seemingly innocent thing, with its blood red ruby that capped the hilt. He'd been resisting the urge to grip it since all this started. It called to him even now, though for some reason, it's pull was weaker here - wherever here was. Shaking himself out of his dark mood, he looked at the guys now that they were alone. He turned to Rand and was about to speak, a wide grin on his face when the wisdom spoke firmly, as though she read his mind.

"No, Matrim Cauthon," she said, hands on hips, and face stern.

"Huh?" he felt a little embarrassed that that was all his clever wit delivered for a stunning riposte.

"You aren't going exploring, or any such nonsense - I can literally smell your eagerness to do so. Who knows what trouble you'd manage to get you and the boys into."

"Wait," began Mat. "I wasn't…"

Turning from him and effectively cutting him off, she shifted her position to address them all, taking her place as the leader in the Aes Sedai's absence. Folding her arms under her bosom, she tore into the boys with what seemed to Mat's mind to be relish.

"By the light, you boys act like children sometimes. How can you even think about wandering about in this situation?"

Mat kept his face sufficiently contrite as Nynaeve gave them all a hard look. She huffed at them, apparently satisfied with their reactions before turning to Egwene to speak. As soon as she had turned away though, he rolled his eyes and looked hard at Rand and Perrin.

'_Don't tell me you'll actually listen to her!' _he thought hard in their direction. From their resigned faces, it seemed the fools actually would. He turned to Loial, and the Ogier was done with his own horse, and was heading to a corner of the barn with a book in his massive hands. He sighed to himself. No one ever wanted to do anything fun.

* * *

Loial desperately clung to familiar things in an effort to keep the despair he now felt at bay. His excitement from earlier was all but gone. He rubbed his horse down - though he hadn't ridden it. He rearranged his pack. He took out an unfinished book and went to a corner of the barn to try and read. He sat there for a bit, spaced out until he realized with a start that he was holding the book upside down. Looking around, he surreptitiously righted the book, grateful that no one seemed to notice.

He struggled to take in what he had seen. Strange creatures like the goblins living side by side with humans. The thing that miss Enri had referred to - magic caster. He didn't know what that was. He watched the women sit down and take out their packs too, rearranging them probably for the same reasons that he did. Rand and Perrin took out a board of Stones and sat down to play, and Mat reluctantly sat as well, watching them, a coin dancing between his fingers as though he'd rather be gambling.

'_Humans are so interesting_,' thought Loial as he considered all that had happened. They were not paralyzed by the bizarre situation they found themselves. Some, like Mat, had already recovered enough to want to go out.

The one thing that could be said about this world (and Loial was fairly certain that was what this was, regardless of how far fetched that seemed) was that it was clean. Now that the backdrop of the constant, cloying presence of the dark one was absent, Loial could notice it for the first time. The land didn't moan - something Loial had never even been able to express until he had this land to compare it to. The trees he'd met here couldn't have been less interested in him. They were alive in a way the trees from his world weren't, and gloriously focused on their own interests. They felt so full of life that it seemed like they would start dancing at any moment. It was beautiful.

There was just one hitch. The little miss had mentioned something called _trolls_.

'_Could they be like trollocs?'_ wondered the Ogier with considerable trepidation as the fear that the Dark One already had some influence in these lands, no matter how small.

He would wait for the Aes Sedai to return, but he was fairly certain that he wouldn't fight the rebellious satisfaction his heart felt whenever he considered that they might be trapped here.

* * *

'_I'm so tired,'_ thought Momonga, or Ainz Ooal Gown (as he called himself now) as he lay on his bed brooding. He allowed the book in his hands drop onto his rib cage. Of course he knew it was all in his head - he was immune to physical penalties after all. That didn't make it any less true though. His head hurt, even though it was just a skull. In a more relaxed atmosphere, he would have chuckled at the irony of a technically brainless being with a headache.

His mind began to run around itself again as he tried to understand how he could even be existing. He caught himself.

'_No running from the problem Ainz!'_

The 'problem' was so ridiculous, it was nearly laughable - his subordinates all thought he was smarter, more perfect than he really was. He'd managed to bullshit his way through so far, but it was not sustainable. He knew it deep down. The episode with the Baharuth emperor, and the impressions of the guardians after that made it clear to him exactly how little room he had for error. Especially with the likes of Demiurge watching his every move.

'_I have to be worthy of them! But I can't keep up with this pressure! Arrrggg!'_

He'd thought this over and over again, postponing action because he couldn't decide what to do about it. No more.

His thinking had gone in a different direction since stumbling on an obscure book in Ashurbanipal.

Even he didn't fully understand how Ashurbanipal had expressed in the real life version of the great tomb of Nazarick. Books that were just skins in the game became real. So, in addition to being filled with game lore and mechanics details, the Library had now expanded to actually contain those books on the skins. Video link bookmarks kept there by his guild members has become actual video archives. He had a moment of embarrassment as he recalled Peroronchino's section of the library.

'_Under no circumstances must I allow Shalltear or Albedo to see that place,'_ he thought to himself uneasily. His guild members were generally not political. Those who were focused on Japanese nationalism by default - if they ever thought about it. The daily grind of survival made political interest a thing of luxury for most. Most, except for Rei Dupeel san.

Dupeel san was an anomaly. Just thinking about his arguments with Touch Me san and Tabula Smaragdina san when he could goad them to partake was a minor source of embarrassment for Momonga. Besides the books which increased merchant and item appraisal skills passively in game, it was Dupeel san who had books on American conservatism, capitalism, and classical liberalism going as far back as the 20th century as skins for part of the background of his section of the great library. In the new world, those skins had become actual books, adding to the already eclectic mix of literature that Dupeel san collected to vibe with his eccentric character. It was deep in that section that Ainz found the book whose content had him thinking so hard.

Until he read it, he'd never actually thought about the problem in this new way. However, in those words, he felt the answer to his problem with the NPCs lurking.

'_If only I can do this in a way that will keep them on my side. Think Ainz!'_

"Yes! Tcch…" Ainz muttered as his emotional suppressor kicked in, stripping him of the joy of finally getting his little plan together.

"Oh well, better get on with it."

He got up from his bed where he'd been brooding, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, and setting them down as he reached into his pocket dimension to store the book he'd been mulling over. He absently glanced around the room, marveling again at the incredible beauty of Nazarick's game designs coming to life.

His room was one of the simpler ones belonging to the 41 guild members, but it was still otherworldly by any standard. The ambiance of the room was dark, matching his tastes. Of course, with his dark vision, the ambiance didn't hinder him. Everything in the room was perfect - from the wall hangings, to the floor finish, and even the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The bed he had been lying in was soft beyond measure - even with his undead nature, he could feel it. The bed posts were exquisite, and his crest was carved into them in intricate patterns. As he looked at them, he realized that they were now the crest of Ainz Ooal Gown. His eyes went to the wall opposite him as he heard a soft chime, and caught sight of a blinking alert at the corner of his vision. Moving his head to look at the alert, he was a bit surprised when the blinking thing stayed at the edge of his vision.

'_Wait_,' thought Ainz. '_This feels familiar, like a game mechanic. Could it...?'_

Feeling excited, he made the motion to call up his game menu.

Nothing.

'_Hmm,' _thought the Guild master. Now his curiosity was piqued.

He tried to focus on the alert with just his eyes, and a moment later, something popped up before his eyes.

'_My character sheet! This is unmistakably my character sheet!'_.

His emotional suppression kicked in, and he became calmer.

'_Hmm, I thought I couldn't access this before? What happened?' _thought Ainz.

Reading it, he noted some immediate differences. First of all, his levels had changed. In the game, it showed as 100/100. Now? It was simply 100 (I).

'_Huh?'_ Thought Ainz, completely flabbergasted.

He considered this new information for a moment, then moved his gaze down to look at the rest of the stats.

The very first thing he noticed about the stats were his MP and a new category - Divinity. In game, he'd maxed out and actually exceeded the limit for MP. But now, the MP had an actual value. It was 160.

'_But what exactly is Divinity?_,_'_ thought Ainz, chin in hand.

It was set at a very underwhelming 1.

'_Uwaaa… That's low, but can I really complain when I don't know what it is?' _he thought.

'_I mean, there's no Yggdrasil equivalent. My karma is still normal, so it can't mean that.'_

The red dots in his eyes dimmed considerably as he wracked his head. The character sheet gave him no answers. It was perplexing.

He focused on the "Spells" tab of the sheet, and the sheet changed, showing a long list of spells grouped by tier. A new change caught his attention, and he was immensely surprised - again.

The number of spells he 'knew' had changed. It was no longer 718/300, showing he'd exceeded the limit. It was simply 718 (I).

That wasn't the most exciting thing to Ainz though.

'_THERE'S A HEADING FOR CUSTOM SPELLS!'_ screamed Ainz internally. It was empty at the moment, but the sheer excitement nearly overwhelmed him. His emotional suppression kicked in again, and he calmed down enough to realize that he could not figure this out right now. Besides, if he got immersed now, he'd never leave.

[Message]

_['Albedo?']_

Albedo was the leader of the floor Guardians. She was extremely devoted to Ainz, both as a denizen of Nazarick, and as something more. Shame washed through his bones as he thought about the tweak he'd made that produced that 'something more', but green light washed over him as his emotional suppression kicked in.

Albedo's beautiful voice sounded in his head.

_['Ainz sama? What is your wish?']_

Ainz replied

_['Albedo, contact all the floor Guardians, excluding Gargantua and Victim. Have them meet me in the 6th floor arena in 30 minutes. Also, summon Sebas and Citrinitas.']_

He literally heard the gush in Albedo's reply

_['Citrinitas-chan? Fufufufu! As you command, Ainz sama!']_

With the [Message] ended, Ainz focused on the little "x" at the top left corner of the character sheet. The sheet faded, and he teleported to the 6th floor to wait for the guardians. He would worry about how to recall the character sheet later.

* * *

Albedo was the first to arrive. She stood in the entrance to the arena as she feasted her eyes on the glorious form of her love. She was caught between respect for Ainz-sama, and excitement at her chance to catch Momonga alone. She still called him Momonga in her head. After all, wasn't she allowed a special name for her beloved? Her wings fluttered excitedly as she fantasized about teaching her Momonga what it meant that she was a succubus right there in the open.

"Sister,"

A sultry voice brought her attention back to the present, and she turned, watching her sister come towards her.

Citrinitas was her sister, though not a creation of Tabula sama. Unlike Albedo, she was only half succubus. Her other half was Lamia Noble. This was the first time she had been summoned in Albedo's memory, which meant never.

Red eyes with horizontal slit pupils in Citrinitas met golden eyes with vertical slit pupils in Albedo.

"Welcome, sister," replied Albedo. Unlike Albedo, Citrinitas had no wings, though that meant nothing to her with her True Polymorph skill.

Before Citrinitas could speak again, a gate opened before them. Out stepped Demiurge, adjusting his spectacles. Sebas came after him, staying as far away from the demon as he could manage. He inclined his head politely towards Albedo. She nodded at him in response. Finally, that flat chested lamprey stepped through holding a dainty umbrella like she was a lady and not a mad slut. The gate closed behind her as she stepped through, casting a dirty look that matched the one on Albedo's face at the succubus. Cocytus could be seen striding down the hallway with Aura and Mare in tow. Albedo smiled to herself at the prompt response from the guardians and Sebas, her irritation at Shalltear temporarily forgotten. No one would slight her love today. Or ever. Turning she strode into the arena with the guardians behind her.

As she walked towards her love in all his bony glory, she could not help feeling bicorns frolicking in her stomach. Her love turned to face them as they approached, and the red points of his eyes flogged the bicorns in her stomach into a stampede. Much as she despised the vampire slut, she could sympathize with her underwear crisis the last time they were here before her love. She barely managed to stop herself from jumping him right there and then.

"Ainz-sama!" chorused the guardians as they knelt before him.

The noble voice of her love as he acknowledged their fealty pulled her. As he told them to rise, she could see the vampire's face - it was completely flushed. She caught herself from smashing it - barely, and walked to stand beside her love.

* * *

Ainz watched them as they came towards him, and took an imaginary breath at the sheer lust that had emanated from Albedo. He noticed the person walking just behind her, curiosity in her red eyes as she took in the arena she was probably seeing for the first time.

'_Hmm. Must be Dupeel san's NPC, Citrinitas. This is my first time seeing her outside of Dupeel-san's study,' _thought Ainz as he surreptitiously watched Citrinitas. He gathered himself as they knelt before him. He made a mental note to read up on her backstory.

"Umu… You can all rise," he said as a replica of the _Throne of Kings _appeared behind him and he sat.

"There are 2 major things that we have to discuss today," said Ainz. He noticed Demiurge adjusting his spectacles in anticipation. The demon was rapturous - no doubt at the opportunity to see another part of the 10000 year plan Ainz supposedly had.

'_It all ends today,'_ thought Ainz to himself, trepidation in his heart.

"The first regards decision making process in Nazarick."

Everyone looked at each other, a little confused.

Demiurge started to speak, but Ainz put up his hands for silence.

"Demiurge, there are many reasons for what I want to tell you. The first is that you all are creations, no, children of my dear comrades. I love you all very much."

He thought he heard a whimper from the guardian overseer at his side. Turning to observe her, he noted the slightly trembling wings and manic light in her golden eyes. She was the most dangerous part of this plan.

He got up as nobly as he could manage and began to pace, using the opportunity to put some much needed distance between Albedo and himself.

"If I were to use an analogy of the humans" continued Ainz, "you are my family. I am like the father, Albedo is like the mother, Demiurge - ". He was interrupted as all hell broke loose.

'_ShitShitShitShit!'_ screamed Ainz internally as the succubus turned to him, mad lust pouring off her in waves.

Albedo screamed, hands stretched towards Ainz, and looking at him with eyes that held only lust, and no shred of reason in them. Stalking towards Ainz, she ignored the scrambles of the other guardians to hold her back.

Fortunately, his emotional suppression saved him, making him calm enough to remember he had planned for this very thing. To use the talk of family to set Albedo, and possibly Shalltear off, and to make it easier to sell his idea to the guardians while they were reeling from how he would resolve it. It all seemed very smart while he was planning it - not so much now the lust-crazed demon was advancing forcefully on him, her considerable bosom bouncing.

"ALBEDO!" He said forcefully.

The succubus didn't stop her advance.

_Time for the big guns_, thought Ainz as Demiurge and Cocytus struggled with the lust crazed guardian.

"Do you wish to fail me, Albedo? Because you are very close."

The words were like a battering ram. Albedo literally stopped dead, and a moment later, convulsed in horror as the full impact of Ainz's statement hit her. Even the other guardians were not spared the feeling of unbearable horror.

Falling to her knees where she was, tears rolling down her face, the succubus shook her head, before croaking out a pain filled "No."

* * *

The entire gathering was shocked to silence. No one could move. The question, though not directed at them, was the most painful thing they could imagine. They watched as their Lord walked to the kneeling succubus, reaching into his pocket dimension as he did, and drawing out a beautiful handkerchief. Demiurge and Cocytus stepped back and bowed, along with all the other guardians.

Reaching her, their master dropped to his knees and used the handkerchief to wipe Albedo's face, and then did the unthinkable. He drew her into an embrace, patting her back and hair as he did. In the deafening silence, nothing but the sobs of the succubus could be heard.

"I would never fail you, Ainz-sama," groaned the grief stricken guardian.

Lifting his head, their master, the one who had stayed behind with them after all others had left, he looked at them all in the eyes. "I know you will not fail me, my dear Albedo. You are my world. All of you are my world," he said, including them all in his last sentence.

"That is the first reason for the changes I will make regarding the decision making in Nazarick."

* * *

Ainz had anticipated that the statement about failing him would stop Albedo.

'_The plan is working, but this is still bad. I have to take responsibility.'_

That was what he had decided to do about his blunder with Albedo's settings in the first place anyway. He would not run away.

So he had chosen his words carefully in his heart as he went to her with a handkerchief. Kneeling there at her level though, she looked so… vulnerable. And he didn't know when he hugged her.

The impact on the others was electric.

The amount of devotion Ainz felt from them all was overwhelming. The pressure was horrible. He might have started babbling if not for his emotional suppression. He was able to stick to the plan though, and continue in the calm voice of his undead race.

'_I will forever be grateful for my flesh-less face,' _thought Ainz as he gauged the impact of his words on the guardians.

The weeping of the succubus began to abate, and Ainz got up, pulling Albedo with him in the process. He might as well link it to his plan for decision making.

"That is the first reason for the changes I will make regarding the decision making in Nazarick."

Releasing Albedo, he walked back to the throne.

"Everyone calm down. And Albedo, return to your place beside me."

In short order, things were back to relative normal - if you discount the absolutely fanatical devotion that shone in the eyes of all the guardians now.

'_It will be alright, I hope. The first part is complete, though I acted on impulse by embracing her. I really must get better at this!' _the Overlord said to himself.

"The second reason," continued Ainz, "is that I want all of you to grow and improve. Do you all know why I've been giving you tasks outside your specialties?

They all nodded.

"Those were experiments to know if you could grow. And the evidence is that you can."

Ainz paused. It was now or never.

"In light of all this, I want you all to stop treating me as infallible and all-knowing."

There was silence, then the arena exploded as all the guardians began to argue at once. All except Albedo. She was in a trance-like state at the moment.

"Silence!" said Ainz, waving his left arm in a modified version of the form he practiced in the mirror hours on end.

"No one can make all decisions. In fact, you already make most of your decisions yourselves."

Taking a deep breath, he hoped fervently in his mind that they would believe him.

"In planning the future of our home, we will all have input, and share the input together, except when we think it might sabotage some other plans."

"When we discuss, I learn much from you. In fact, I noticed that I also improved today. The fact that I did not anticipate this change, the fact that I can still improve _proves_ that I am neither infallible, nor all-knowing. Now that even I can level up, would you also deny me this opportunity to grow?"

There was silence as the guardians considered this.

"I see. As expected of Ainz-sama." said Demiurge.

"I told you to stop that Demiurge," said Ainz testily.

"Pardon me, Ainz-sama. Please forgive this one's lapse."

"So, what do you see," asked Ainz, still more than a little suspicious that they would simply think around him.

"We see how this will benefit Nazarick. It might be painful now, but in 1000 years, it would bring great reward."

"Albedo?" asked Ainz. Sometime while he was speaking, she'd regained her composure.

"Ainz-sama, I agree with everyone here."

* * *

Albedo's mind was racing as she considered what Ainz meant by their ability to grow.

'_It means I can catch up to him. Be worthy of him. He called me mother…'_

Her body shivered a little in excitement again.

Then she understood something else. Something only she could. When her love turned to her and asked "Albedo?" she saw immediately that it must be so. Yet she was not foolish enough to speak her true thoughts in front of the other guardians.

The truth of the matter was that she hated Tabula sama. Hated him from the first day she realized that Ainz felt guilty about changing her settings to make her love him. She hated that she was initially set as a slut. Set to offer herself to everyone and anyone if her love hadn't changed it. She hated that Tabula sama didn't give her love his blessing to love her back before disappearing. She knew she was being unreasonable, but that was what it was. Now, what her love said gave her the confidence that he had considered it, and had offered a way to use this new incident as a means to overcome. After all, if they could grow, if other supreme beings - even her creator - came into this world and opposed her love, and if they were still the same as when they'd abandoned them, they could defeat them. Because they would have grown. Albedo felt so happy she could burst.

* * *

Cocytus clenched and unclenched his four hands, barely stopping himself from an embarrassing display of emotion before his Lord. His heart was filled to bursting with emotions so complex the Vermin lord doubted he could even identity them all. No matter. They were all variations of adoration for his great master who, despite being the strongest of all the forces of Nazarick, still sought to get better.

Cocytus could hardly imagine a better Ainz - such was the gap between him and his master in his mind.

Yet that was not all.

His master had also declared that they all could improve. As he thought on his master's words, he had realized the chance his master spoke about. Although he had complete confidence in his mastery of weapons, he was ashamed of his intelligence compared with Demiurge and Albedo. He had consoled himself with the thought that his creator made him that way, but the words rang hollow to him. It had become glaringly obvious to him after the incident with the Lizardmen. But now, there was a chance for redemption.

'_All my training can finally yield visible results!'_ exulted Cocytus in his mind, clenching his hands again to keep control of his emotions.

He thought back to the feelings he'd been overcome by when Ainz spoke his feelings for them, treasuring them, committing them to memory for self-indulgence later.

* * *

"There is one more thing," Ainz said, dread filling his heart. This was the part of his plan he dreaded the most.

"Albedo," he said. The succubus turned to him.

"Albedo, I changed your settings and made you to love me." He literally heard Shalltear's teeth grinding. Pushing on, he continued.

"I have told you about this before to hear your thoughts, but now, I want to hear your thoughts again in the light of everything we've said about being open."

The overseer was perfectly still, except for the slight quivering in her wings.

"Ainz-sama," she began. "It is the greatest honor of my existence to have been changed specifically to love you. I would want it no other way even if you never return the feelings." Her voice was perfectly composed.

'_I guess there's no getting out of this,'_ said Ainz to himself.

"Very well," he said out loud. "In the light of this, I have decided to take responsibility for my actions, Albedo. However, I will not explore the matter again until we are stable, and have achieved our short term aims for Nazarick."

He rose as he finished speaking, and Albedo and the guardians got on her knees.

"Albedo, come with Demiurge, Citrinitas and Pandora's Actor to my office in 3 hours time," said Ainz, red points fixing on the Guardian Overseer.

_'Now my partner, or wife, or whatever. What am I doing? Arrg! There is no choice!'_ thought Ainz in despair.

"I am sorry, but I must keep you from your roles a bit longer," said Ainz as he teleported away

* * *

Shalltear was devastated as she saw Ainz-sama teleport away, and the throne disappear. For a moment, no one moved, still in awe of their supreme one. Yet Shalltear was in the depths of despair.

'_I lost to that ape?'_ she repeated over and over again.

'_No, I never had a chance to begin with. Ainz-sama changed her settings specifically.'_

Grief sought to overwhelm the vampire as tears fell from her crimson eyes. She felt the succubus approach her - no doubt to gloat - and was shocked beyond measure when the succubus bent and embraced her.

Looking up, she saw the other guardians surrounding her. Aura had a concerned look on her face as they all regarded her. Even Citrinitas and Sebas looked concerned - though they did not join the circle of guardians surrounding her.

"Everyone...," she began.

Demiurge adjusted his glasses.

"As we said earlier Shalltear, we cannot expect Ainz-sama to have only one spouse. That he has chosen Albedo for the first doesn't mean that he has discarded you."

Frost billowed from Cocytus' mouth as he clacked his mandibles together in agreement.

"IT. IS. AS. DEMIURGE. SAYS. AFTER. ALL, AINZ-SAMA. RISKED. HIMSELF. TO FREE. YOU FROM. THE. WORLD. CLASS. ITEM. THAT. ENSNARED. YOU. HE. MUST. CARE. ABOUT. YOU."

Aura just patted her on the back as they all spoke.

She looked up, sniffling as she rose with the help of the succubus.

_'No._ Albedo,' she corrected herself mentally._ 'After all, we are family, just as Ainz-sama said'_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Wheel and the Great Tomb of Nazarick **

**A FAN FICTION BY BUF_BUODA **

**CHAPTER 4**

* * *

_AN: Hello everyone! Thank you to all of you who have expressed interest in this fic. It is absolutely mind blowing to me to have people reading this. Thank you all very much. I do not own Overlord, or The Wheel of Time._

_Lots of thanks to the Usual Gang of Drunken Perverts for their ideas. Lots of thanks to Tomolade. If you're reading this, accept your name like that (straight face)._

_For all of you who left reviews, thanks as well. Let me try addressing some questions raised during the reviews_

_\- Canon: The point of a fan fic is to use canon as a starting point, then move on from there in a manner consistent with the story(I think). I will be sticking to the Overlord canon, but I will change some things as well - sorry if you don't like that. _

_\- OC: Regarding Citrinitas-chan, she'll be fleshed out later. As you must have noticed, I prefer descriptions via the POVs of other characters._

_\- Albedo: Albedo is already uneasy about the return/discovery of other supreme beings, at least by her task-force mission. I just teased that out a little more to induce conflict. It seems she would hate the contradiction (when she's not living it) because it would make her job awkward. Recall her character screen, and how seriously she takes her position. Besides, she knows her hatred is illogical - she just doesn't care. Yet. Regarding her nature, it seems from canon that Albedo's succubi nature is almost an afterthought to her because of her position as a guardian. She has focused it solely on Momonga. I don't know why Maru wrote her like that, but I like it. It has a tendency to get in the way sometimes._

_So then, back to the story! Thanks for you patience._

* * *

Ingtar had been in or around combat for almost two days. The trolloc army at the pass was massive, and kept swelling as more bands joined from the Blight. Waves upon waves stretched beyond the pass and into the Blight. They had broken against the wall of steel time and time again, but he knew it would only be a matter of time. They all did.

'_Duty is heavier than a mountain_,_'_ thought Ingtar to himself as he watched his men get ready for another charge grimly. In two days, he had lost just over a quarter of his men. The foot fared much worse - they were the anvil that held the trolloc charge in place for the heavy cavalry to smash. Of course to do that, they went toe to toe with the trollocs. They were generally outweighed, and in places where the pikes from the second rank failed to keep them at bay, they were mauled quite badly. The pass forced the trollocs to narrow down, but it was a numbers game. The trollocs had more to pay the butcher with than the Shienerans did.

"Lord Ingtar!" Turning, he saw the messenger throw himself from his horse and approach at a dead run.

"Lord Ingtar," he panted. "Lord Agelmar requires your presence in the command tent." he rushed out, handing over Ingtar's orders.

Nodding to the boy, Ingtar broke the seal and read them. Turning towards the command tent, he nodded to his second in command.

"You and the men take a breather," he said as he strolled away. Grateful men removed helmets and sat wherever they could.

"...off our backs. We need to buy-" Lord Agelmar cut off as he strode into the tent. Saluting, Ingtar presented himself.

"Ingtar... Good. Everyone is here. Now we can start."

Ingtar took a place beside the other men in charge of cavalry units. Whatever made Agelmar call them from the field couldn't be good.

"We have a bit of a respite in the fighting," continued Agelmar.

"It won't do us much good though. We are getting no reinforcements. Everyone is convinced that the trollocs will wheel in their direction once they've gobbled us up."

Sighing, he continued

"Moiraine Sedai spoke about our battle here. She has gone to get us help at the Eye. Every moment we hold them back is a moment closer to her victory, and the lives of the citizens behind us."

Ingtar shifted his feet as he glanced around. They all knew this, but for Lord Agelmar to say it out loud…

"We cannot retreat. We can only hold, or break." Steel filled the voice of Agelmar as he continued.

"We will hold. Peace favor your swords, and may the last embrace of the mother welcome you home."

It was a eulogy, and every man bowed formally and saluted. Death is lighter than a feather after all.

* * *

Lan had nothing to worry about from the goblins as Enri led them away from the barn, and to a simple house. He had a sense of the creature, and it would not trouble him - not now he was aware of it. The girl was even more innocuous, making Lan wonder again about how exactly she commanded the goblins.

'_Must be that Ainz character'_, he thought to himself. The respect in Enri's voice as she mentioned him was unmistakable.

Jugem did not enter with them, but waved Enri goodbye once he saw them to the door.

As they entered, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as his senses screamed a mental warning at him. He glanced about at the house they had just entered. The house was cozy, and had a table in the center of the room, with chairs around it, and the rest of the kitchen/dining built around it. Due to his stature, the whole thing felt small. Loial would be really cramped. Through a door at the back, Lan saw some stairs. The occupants in the room seemed a bit unassuming.

There was a blonde, weak looking man - boy really - with bangs covering most of his face and a nervous laugh sitting at the table, and a cheerful red headed, dark skinned beauty leaning casually on one of the walls. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. As soon as he realized that, he also realized that the immense feeling of danger was coming from her. It was not malice, just the interest of an apex predator. No wonder Jugem could leave Enri with total strangers.

"Hiya!" She exclaimed with a cheerful voice, waving at them and grinning from ear to ear.

"Aren't you big...," she said in an utterly suggestive voice, looking Lan up and down.

She was dressed in a peculiar outfit - frilly as though it was a maids outfit, slit to show her shapely thighs, yet with armored sections. She had a white headdress on her head that had the feel of formal wear.

Lan frowned to himself. There was no reason he should feel the unease he did, but he trusted his instincts.

"Lupu, Nfirea, I'm back," said Enri by way of greeting.

As they came in, Enri introduced them as Alys and Andra. The woman was Lupusregina Beta, a servant of this Ainz Ooal Gown character.

Lan made the necessary polite noises, stepping away from Moiraine and surreptitiously putting himself between her and Lupusregina. There was no need to tell Moiraine. He trusted her to pick up on his unease and be careful around that woman.

Yet as much as he thought he was prepared, nothing could prepare him for the burst of motion from the woman. She was suddenly at Moiraine's side, a hand around her throat. Her second hand gripped Lan's sword, scabbard and all. She had simply torn it off as she moved apparently. The perfectly manicured hand looked strange against Moiraine's neck.

Enri screamed, and Nfirea actually fell out of his chair.

"What did you do?" She asked in her falsely cheerful voice, looking into Moiraine's eyes from mere inches away. The cheer was false. He knew that now.

"I didn't do anything," replied Moraine in a voice like she was sipping tea with friends, Aes Sedai calm on her unreadable face.

Lan blurred towards her as Moiraine replied, arms stretched out to grapple, and he was met with his own scabbard full in the face, smashing his nose and lips together, and nearly taking off his jaw in the process. The back of his head slammed into the floor, and the scabbard clattered to the ground by his head. Blood poured from his face, and his nose felt broken. He struggled to his feet, gripping his sword now that she'd so nicely returned it. As he tried to draw, the woman turned and looked at him.

"I gave you back your toy so that if you come at me again, I will have reason to kill you," she said with supreme confidence. Turning back to Moiraine, she continued "With your weapon in your hand, Ainz sama won't scold me for killing a harmless human."

_'Human,'_ thought Lan, mind scrambling. _'Why would she refer to me as that - as though she wasn't...'_

He stopped the thought right there. He did not want to consider the next thought that came to his head.

"Lupu-san!" shrieked Enri.

"Alys-dono and Andra-dono are our guests!"

Nfirea nodded energetically, still shocked by the sudden violence.

Lupusregina ignored both of them.

"What did you do?" she asked in exactly the same tone. There was a slight difference though - anticipation shone in her eyes.

"I felt you do something - like you were taking a deep breath; do you understand?"

Her face was now inches from Moiraine, eyes drilling into her.

"Again, I did nothing. You attacked me unprovoked, and without any warning," replied Moiraine, her voice hardening. It felt like the temperature in the room dropped.

* * *

Moiraine heard feet pounding as people - goblins - rushed to the door, drawn no doubt by Enri's scream. She couldn't spare any attention for them though. Lan had struggled to his feet, but he had not drawn. The warning of the maid woman who held her was crystal clear.

Steeling her heart, she continued to meet the gaze of the maid. The hand around her throat felt kind. Pleasant, even. Like they could not hurt a fly. But the way she'd manhandled Lan showed that was just an act. She could probably tear out her throat before Moiraine could blink.

The smile on the face of the maid widened as Moiraine held her gaze.

'_Fool!'_ Moiraine thought inwardly, chiding herself.

'_Why did I forget there could be channelers here? Just embracing the source like a woman newly raised. Fool!'_ The Aes Sedai berated herself.

She released the source, and Lupusregina nodded, though there was disappointment in her eyes.

'_She knows!' _thought Moiraine, the stirrings of fear in her heart.

'_She knows when I'm holding the source! How?'_

Moiraine could not sense a shred of channeling ability from the woman. It should be impossible to hide it from her this close to her. Her mind stopped though, as the woman leaned in and kissed her full on the lips before releasing her and bounding away. She patted Lan on the head as she passed him, got back to her previous place at the wall, and leaned back the exact way she was.

Silence reigned. She heard a drop of blood hit the ground from Lan's ruined face. Her face was probably as red as that blood.

Looking around, the goblins at the door were equally shocked. One of them recovered, silently turned to the door, and left. The others were jolted by his motion and quickly followed him out.

"Let's start again from the beginning," the maid said.

"Hiya!" She exclaimed with a cheerful voice, waving at them and grinning from ear to ear.

Enri sighed and looked at Lupusregina with tired eyes.

"What was that about, Lupu?" she asked.

"She seemed like she was going to be naughty to you and Nfi-chan, so I just had a little talk with her ~su," the maid replied in a cute voice.

Moiraine's mind was racing as Nfirea and Enri made apologies for the maid.

'_Just what exactly have we gotten ourselves into?'_ she thought. She was getting used to being out of her depth, but this was a little too much.

'_I thought I was mentally prepared for this. After all, the logical conclusion has always been that we are somewhere else. Maybe a different world even. Yet every incident that confirms this just jolts me all over again.'_

None of her inner turmoil showed on her face though. She was Aes Sedai. She made all the right noises to move the conversation along, but snapped back to attention when Nfirea mentioned a healing potion.

"What was that?" she asked him.

"Oh," he replied. "I was just saying that the least we could do was to help you with a healing potion for master Andra."

"We would be very grateful," replied Moraine with a slight bow of her head.

'_This should be interesting,'_ she thought to herself.

Nfirea stepped outside and came back some moments later with a small, intricately made glass jar containing a blue liquid. He gave it to Lan to drink, and Moiraine barely held back her gasp as the injuries on his face knitted themselves together. Lan himself could not keep the amazement from his face and voice.

"Master Nfirea," he asked. "What is this thing?"

"It's a healing potion," the man replied. "After all, I am a potion maker."

With that done, Enri brought out cups of tea and served them all, before joining them at the table. The maid did not sit. She walked to the back of Lan's seat, and put her elbows on the back rest, supporting her chin with her wrists, and nuzzling the side of her face into his back, making him clearly uncomfortable.

"Lupu," Enri said with warning in her voice.

"What?" The maid sounded incredulous as she stood up straight behind Lan and stared at Enri over his head.

"Lupu, they are guests," Nfirea said gently.

"Ara… Who would have thought you'd be jealous, Nfi-chan?", the maid replied in a voice that left little doubt as to what she meant.

"Lupu!" shouted Enri and Nfirea together, blushing hard.

The maid just giggled and bounced on her toes.

"Andra looks like he'd be delicious. Not to mention he can take a little beating - for a mere human. I think I like him," declared the maid as she walked back to the wall.

"Please forgive her," Enri said to Moiraine, still red from the blush.

"No offense," replied Moraine.

"If we could get back to the topic at hand," said Lan in a normal voice that betrayed nothing of the utter bewilderment she felt from him through the bond.

"Of course," said Enri, all business again. "What do you want to know?"

"Just general information," replied Moraine, picking up her cup and taking a sip of tea. It was passable.

"Well, this is Carne village," began Enri.

"I'm the village chief, and we belong to the Re Estize Kingdom, though they do precious little for us."

Nfirea picked up as she paused.

"We're a simple village, really. Nothing special about us besides the fact that Ainz sama protects us. He sends us help when we need it, and even sent Lupu here to protect us."

Moiraine did not miss the fact that whoever this Ainz was, he deemed Lupusregina strong enough to be protection for this village. Her maid outfit was obviously a ruse. She focused on Nfirea as he continued.

"The biggest city close by is E Rantel, though I would not advise going there now. With the war coming, master Andra here will probably be forcefully recruited."

The names they mentioned were totally strange to Moiraine. She could not press for more information now without revealing too much, and it was not a risk she was willing to take with the maid nearby.

"Where are you from, mistress Alys?", asked Enri.

Moiraine had anticipated this question, and had prepared a sufficiently obscure answer.

"We left Shienar on a quest to find someone. When we camped, all was well. However, we woke up in this strange place," Moiraine replied. She smiled to herself. From the looks on the faces of Enri and Nfirea, they were sufficiently confused. The maid was more concerning. For the first time since Moiraine had laid eyes on the woman, she looked thoughtful. The thoughtfulness quickly hardened.

"Enri chan," the maid said, all signs of playfulness gone. "These guests of yours will have to meet with Ainz sama."

Moiraine looked up in alarm.

"Hold on. We -"

"I will inform Ainz sama tonight about their presence,"

The maid cut her off like she hadn't been speaking. Turning to them, she said in a voice as hard as steel,

"It is not a request, Alys-san, Andra-san. Don't try to leave. Or do - I'll be one of those assigned to hunt you and hopefully, I'll get to keep Andra-san." She turned and walked out of the room.

'_Things are progressing very fast,'_ thought Moiraine uneasily. She made excuses for herself and Lan as soon as possible, and left for the barn where the others were. They had a lot to talk about.

* * *

Prince Barbro Andrean Ield Ryle Vaiself rode at the head of his army in a foul mood. They were mostly foot. 4500 of his current troops were infantry, forced conscripts from Marquis Bowlrob and his loyal nobles. He had a measly 500 cavalry troops, knights from the Marquis' army.

'_Stupid peasants for a stupid mission in a stupid backwater village.'_ the prince thought darkly. _'Why the hell should I go on this stupid mission while that fool warrior captain gets to strut around like he's anything special?' _

Barbro's foul mood was evident to the knights that rode with him. They took extra care not to even be noticed by the Crown prince. For those with the unfortunate luck to be beside Barbro, all they could do was pray to whatever gods they followed that he would not lash out in his anger.

Barbro's mood was foul for a simple reason. The kingdom was going to war as they always did with the Baharuth empire. It was a chance for martial glory. Yet his father had sent him to this backwater village to investigate this Ainz.

'_What difference does one magic caster make?' _thought Barbro.

This was especially bad because Barbro and his faction had lost face during the demonic invasion incident in the capital. He had taken the logical decision to stay on his Manor grounds and consolidate that position. Who cared about the death of peasants anyways? But the King had ridden into the fray, taking his elite soldiers with him. Worse, that sniveling pig of a brother, Zanac, had ridden too - fat chance he could even swing a blade. Yet from the rumors, Zanac, with the assistance of that despicably obtuse sister of his had organized the Adventurer's Guild to fight the demons. They'd even managed to recruit the adamantite teams _Darkness _and _Blue Rose_, and the legendary swordsman, Brain Unglaus. As a result, his logical action had been seen by the foolish peasants as cowardice.

'_Me! A coward! Because of that stupid pig!'_

Now, this war was a chance to redeem himself. He'd nearly fallen to despair when the Empire seemed uninterested in their annual war this year. Their declaration had come almost three months later than usual. But it had come.

Yet his father sent him here.

'_Could he be supporting Zanac for the throne?' _

Barbro's mood got darker and darker the more he imagined his opportunity for glory slipping away.

He called a knight over. The man guided his mount beside that of the prince and bowed in the saddle, waiting for further instructions.

"March us faster," Barbro said, his foul mood seeping into his voice.

The knight gulped.

"My prince," he began.

Barbro cut him off with a loud sigh. "I honestly don't care about whatever excuse you want to give," he said. "All I want is to be at Carne yesterday - and yesterday is already past."

The knight swallowed his objections.

"I hear and obey, my prince," the man replied, falling back and issuing the command to pick up the pace. The men were tired, but no one would complain. The prince had a mean streak a mile long, and no one wanted to be caught in it.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate your reviews._


	5. Chapter 5

**The Wheel and the Great Tomb of Nazarick**

**A FAN FICTION BY BUF_BUODA **

**CHAPTER 5**

* * *

_A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks for your interest in my story. I really appreciate the reviews this story gets - it feeds me MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

_I do not own Overlord or The Wheel of time - regardless of how much I wish I did. _

_As usual, thanks to the amazing guys at atheistbasementdragon's discord for the ideas you bounce back and forth. Thanks to my RL betas as well - I know y'all find fiction of this sort boring, but that's what makes you perfect for catching errors. _

* * *

Dominic Ihre Partouche looked at the woman kneeling before the Cardinals with a stern expression on his old, kindly face. As the Cardinal of wind in the Slane Theocracy and a former Sunlight Scripture himself, he'd been chosen to commission the newly reformed Sunlight Scripture, and send them on their first mission. The other cardinals held their peace and allowed him to take the lead.

"Raise your head, Chenna Grid Lain - and stand to your feet," he said to the woman in a voice like a kindly old uncle. Rising to her feet, the woman stood at attention. She bore some slight resemblance to her late older brother. Blonde hair cut short framed a face that was too strong to be called beautiful. Yet she was attractive in her own way. She was tall - as tall as most men - and was built like a dancer. Her lips were curled up slightly in a permanent mocking half smile. She had been set for the Black before the death of her brother Nigun. Now, she burned with zeal at the opportunity to avenge him. She jumped at the chance to lead the newly formed Sunlight Scripture.

Like all candidates considered for the Black, her faith was not the most outstanding thing about her. Her strength was. She could cast spells up to the third tier, and her mana reserves were larger than normal. But her real talent was that she could cast any spell she had seen more than twice before, irrespective of class, as long as she recognized it correctly as a spell, had the mana required to cast it, and was of sufficient level to use it. This made her an exceptionally dangerous foe in a world where third tier magic was legendary. Her weapon of choice was a pair of sabers, and she was proficient enough in it. Combined with the martial spells she had amassed, she was a real danger to anyone outside the Black.

"We have word that the Kingdom has sent the crown prince to investigate the village close to where Nigun was last seen, and presumably killed," began Dominic, hands together under his chin.

"Before our surveillance was disrupted, we gathered that the magic caster Nigun faced was none other than this infamous Ainz Ooal Gown, the one who forms the foundation of the _casus belli_ the Empire is using this time. He purports to claim ownership of this Carne Village, and of E Rantel as well."

Dominic watched as the slight smile the lips of Chenna disappeared. Now, her face was totally emotionless.

Steel entered his kind voice, lending credence to the rumors of his supposed legendary temper.

"The maiden mission of the new Sunlight Scripture will be to join the army of the fool prince under the guise of clandestine reinforcements from the Slane Theocracy, and to capture at least one high value target from the village that can give us information on this magic caster. This village is obviously of importance to this Ainz character, but he will be on the battlefield and unable to intervene personally. This is a good chance the gods have presented us."

"Rules of engagement, sir?" asked Chenna.

"The usual," replied Dominic, leaning back. That was the signal for other cardinals to weigh in.

"It is vitally important that you do not carry out any actions that might antagonize the Kingdom," said Raymond in his soft voice. "Our agents are contacting the heads of the factions with our offer of support as we speak. They will explain our former official stance as a misdirection."

Dominic spared a glance for the former Black Scripture. He was the youngest on the seat of Cardinals, and sometimes, his faith seemed decidedly lacking to the Cardinal of wind. Only Raymond had argued against sending the Sunlight Scripture to Carne. He did not want to "antagonize the magic caster unnecessary," as he put it. Though he was the commander of the six scriptures, Dominic had moved for the Cardinals to vote on the matter. Ginedine had predictably voted against him, and with Raymond, but they were alone.

"You will make haste," said Ginedine in his scratchy voice. "As things are, you are already cutting it very close. No more time can be wasted. You must make contact with Barbro before they engage."

Dominic looked around, but no one else had anything to say.

"Thank you, Cardinals," said Dominic. Turning to the woman, he dismissed her.

Silence reigned as she took her leave.

"It begins," remarked Raymond dryly.

"Yes," said the Pontifex Maximus. "May the six favour us."

* * *

Chenna rode hard, her fellows scripture members behind her. They were not as numerous as her brother's unit, but they were all mounted. Besides, against a village, there would be no need for the full unit. One might be mistaken for underestimating her unit - they were only thirty after all. But they would be sorely mistaken. Her unit was primarily a magic unit, specializing in summoning magic and AOE attacks. Yes they were competent swordsmen, but that was not their primary skill.

The five she sent out as outriders had returned about half an hour ago. They were a few minutes from Barbro's army. The lack of any screens had diminished whatever respect she might have had for the prince.

'_What a fool,'_ she thought to herself.

As her unit arrived, she noticed that the fool had stopped. He and his four hundred or so cavalry had clustered in the middle of a box formation by the foot. She stopped a good distance away and hailed him, sending the second seat under a white flag to talk to them. A few minutes of negotiations, and the rest of her unit joined the army, waiting for the foot to break apart and joining the cavalry. She rode up to the prince.

"Well, well," began the fool, looking her up and down in what he must have assumed was a regal manner.

'_Great Surshana, help me.'_ she prayed inwardly. While she was not as devout as the other scripture members, she had always felt an attraction to the god Surshana. She could accept him as her patron god more easily than the others.

"Seems like your nation has decided to back the winning side," said the prince, practically preening.

* * *

Barbro didn't like this hard faced woman. When he saw her, he'd been a bit flustered at her slightly mocking smile. He had used his best regal voice on her, but it didn't seem to have its normal effect.

'_Fool women. This is why they should not be doing unnatural things. Like that freak, Renner.'_ thought Barbro.

The woman had refused to insert into his chain of command i.e. under him. She told him in that dead voice of hers that she was not under him, but would support him as her instructions had ordered. He took a few moments to calm his rage at the whore as he imagined the knights snickering at her statement.

Just as he was nursing his fantasies of retribution, a knight brought him the news that they had arrived Carne.

"Huh?" He said out loud as they came in sight of what was supposed to be the village.

There was a wall around the village, with a gate and watchtower.

'_A village with a wall? This might take longer than I expected. At least they still fly our banner over the gate' _he thought.

"My prince," said one of the knights that had approached to get them to open their gate.

"What is it?" snapped Barbro.

"They have refused to open the gate, my prince. They claim… They claim that there is… That there is dung all over the ground, and they need time to clean it up," replied the knight.

"Tell them to open the gates this instant!" screamed Barbro. He couldn't believe that these peasants would dare embarrass him in front of foreigners this way.

Minutes passed. The gates remained closed.

"These fools are toying with me," muttered the prince.

"Get archers to set the village on fire. They are all traitors," he announced.

The knights blanched.

"My prince," one began.

"Are you going to contradict my words also?" asked the prince in a deceptively calm voice.

The knight swallowed.

"No, my prince. I merely wanted to point out that we would not be able to interrogate them that way," the knight said, his face white with fear.

"Hmm," said Barbro, thinking aloud. After a pause, he amended his order.

"That's actually true. In that case, set their watchtower on fire. That should wake them up."

* * *

"What is going on?" asked Egwene. Perrin glanced at her. She was seated at the table, and looking worried, her tea forgotten for the moment. They had all heard the start of the commotion outside.

Before he could answer though, Mat already started replying.

"We're all in here together, you know," he began, a tinge of mockery evident in his voice. "How would you bloody expect us to know? We don't have mysterious powers like… Ouch! What the hell was that for?" He glared at Perrin before the door opened and Moiraine stepped in with Lan. The Aes Sedai's face was grim.

"The village is under attack," she began without preamble. Unfastening her cloak, she sat at the table. She glanced at Rand, and he jumped to fetch her some tea.

'_How does she do that to us?'_ wondered Perrin.

Perrin liked to consider things carefully before speaking, but it seemed obvious what the next question would be. Loial beat him to it though.

"By whom, Moir - mistress Alys?" the Ogier asked.

"The Re Estize Kingdom has sent soldiers to find out what is happening in the village. Apparently, news of this Ainz Ooal Gown has reached the capital. From what Enri has been able to gather, the crown prince is out there too." Moiraine replied. She paused, sipping her tea.

Perrin could understand how the villagers felt. He had never realized that the Two Rivers was part of Andor till he got to Baerlon. Even now, it still baffled him. He was sure that the Two Rivers would react the same way.

"Enri is trying to buy time while they hide the goblins and ogres, but it's not working too well," continued the Aes Sedai.

That gave Perrin some pause. While he had noticed wariness in the eyes of the villagers as they worked with the goblins and ogres, he had assumed that it was at least normal. The effort to hide them told him that his assumption was wrong.

A shout went up from outside the house.

Moiraine said nothing. With her cup in hand, she looked like a lady at a picnic.

The door burst open and the goblin named Jugem rushed in.

"Mistress Alys, Master Andra!" The goblin panted out.

Perrin tensed even more. The panic in the goblin was evident.

"Yes, master Jugem?" replied Moiraine.

"Enri nee-san requests your party's presence," he replied, panting. He was wearing more armor than before - arm guards, greaves, as well as a gauntlet.

"We will be there shortly," Moiraine replied the goblin, and he stood off to the side waiting.

"Master Andra," said Moiraine, maintaining their alias. "Please saddle our horses and meet us. Take the boys with you." With that, she swept off after Jugem with Egwene and Nynaeve in tow.

Perrin was silent as they saddled the horses and led them out. Lan was unapproachable, as usual. Leaving the stable with their animals, they followed the warder to Moiraine and arrived at a strange scene.

The smell of burning wood filled the air. The villagers were in a state of barely checked rage. By the gate, the watchtower was in flames - definitely the source of the burning wood smell.

Enri had asked the crowd a question, and they had just arrived to hear the resounding "No!" that the crowd gave in answer.

A portly, dignified, and ageing man spoke,

"Enri chan, this means that we need to evacuate the women and children. If they can get to the woods, they might lose the army in it."

"You're right," replied Enri. "We need to organize that."

Turning to the kindly woman beside the man, presumably his wife, she asked,

"Ila san, would you help organize those who will be leaving?" The woman began to smile and answer when the man interrupted her.

"Enri chan, we think that you should lead that particular group."

"Eh?" protested Enri. "I won't leave you all here to die. I still have the second horn Ainz sama gave me."

"No!" The old man and Jugem protested at once. Looking abashed, Jugem let the old man speak.

"No, Enri chan. You must leave it till you get away with the children. You will need it them more than ever."

"I believe we can be of assistance," said Moiraine in her melodious voice.

A hush fell over the crowd as everyone turned to her.

"How?" many people asked.

She pointed at Lan.

"He will hold the gate, and the I will support him - along with the others. That will force them to commit men here. Then you and the children can slip out of the village without too much pursuit. Loial will join that group."

"Alys-sama," began Jugem. "If you will, allow the ogres to take point. We will fight just behind them, and your man can mop up the rest."

Perrin noticed that this was the first time the goblins had addressed Moiraine as 'Alys-sama' as opposed to 'Mistress Alys', which was the way she introduced herself. Moiraine must have noticed it too. However, all she did was smile and nodded her agreement.

* * *

Lupusregina Beta watched the proceedings with keen interest. She had noticed the shaggy haired boy with the newcomers. He reminded her so much of a young pup.

'_Uwaaa… So appealing… Focus Lupu!'_

Not to mention she preferred the older one. He looked so attractive to her.

'_I wonder what his screams will sound like? Probably just sharp intakes of breath. He doesn't look like the screaming type.'_

Her mind wandered again.

She had contacted Nazarick as soon as it became clear that Barbro was coming to Carne. Her instructions were to watch, observe, and only interfere to protect those three. When the Slane Theocracy soldiers joined, she had contacted Nazarick again. The only change in her instructions was to try and capture one or two of the Slane Theocracy soldiers that caught her fancy if they joined the attack. She was also told to contact Ainz-sama directly for whatever new updates that might occur.

With this new declaration from Alys, she decided to watch them closely to assess their level of threat to Nazarick. Seated on the wall, she crossed her legs to get comfortable for the show.

* * *

Enri panted as she raced for the tree line. It had all started out well. The shock value of the ogre triplets was very useful. It had taken quite a bit to hurt one of them badly - mostly because Moiraine did something that made arrows useless, using the wind to make them veer of target. His brothers had grabbed him, and the three of them had gone inside to deposit him by the wall, before taking their position at the gate, narrowing it. The goblins fanned out, focusing on protecting the flanks of the ogres as best they could. They fought well for a while, but they were only twelve. Eventually, the first men made it through the centre in a group of four, one taking an arrow in the eye from the boys who had stayed with Moiraine and were sending arrows into the press as quickly as they could. The goblins could do nothing about it - they were hard pressed protecting the flanks of the ogres already. Lan stepped up to meet the trio in the first offensive action he had taken since the fight began. The stray arrow had flickered towards him initially before the infantry closed, but he somehow remained unarmed, flicking them away with quick swipes of his blade.

In a burst of motion, Lan flowed and the trio died. The ones behind them died moments later as well. There was no other way to put it. She had never seen swordplay like his before - completely different from the style of fighting the goblins used. He fought like he was dancing. His blade flickered, and men died. They died first in two's and threes, as they were forced to narrow due to the fighting of the goblins. The bodies began piling up, cluttering the battlefield as the men pressed Lan, trying to break past him. it made no difference. The whirlwind of death that was Lan gave the ogres the freedom to focus fully on defending their flanks with the goblins as well, yet the change of focus of the ogres did nothing to help the men dying in the centre. The huge man was untouchable. Panic spread, and the first rush of soldiers ended suddenly with no goblin down, and the huge man completely untouched. Some of the more enterprising goblins grabbed dead bodies and used them to form a barricade, solidifying their position. Jugem had glanced at the huge man then, question in his eyes, before turning back as his offer of backup was turned down just as silently. The soldiers pulled back from the defending party, but more specifically from _him._ The knights had not joined the initial attack, but now they did, cantering up through the gaps the infantry mob tried to create for them in twos and threes. Their plan was obvious - they were going to charge him with the hope of running down the position.

The woman Alys had other ideas though. She stepped forward and smote the ground with her slender staff, spreading her hands wide. A wall of fire abruptly rose in front of the now charging cavalry. Enri could feel the heat even from behind the walls, and the goblins and ogres shied away, hands over their eyes. Lan stood unmoving, as though the heat was nothing. The first group of horses tried to come to a halt, but their momentum was too great. Horse and man crashed through the flames, and the horses went mad, throwing their riders, armor and all, ass over appetite, to land either in, or on the other end of the wall of fire. Everything was on fire. Men died as they were smashed to the ground, the weight of their armor working against them. Men died as they landed awkwardly, on necks and faces. Men died as horses trashed and fell on them. Men died as they rolled on the ground trying to extinguish flames that burnt with unnatural ferocity. The ones that managed to stumble to the waiting blades of master Andra and the goblins were already mad with pain, and were easily put down.

Then ten strange soldiers appeared; and with them, summoned angels. The first wave crashed through the flames and killed all the remaining goblins, as well as the two ogres who were caught completely by surprise (except Jugem whose fast thinking saved him). Going for the goblins first was what saved the lives of the diminutive woman and the huge man called Lan. She'd done something, and made the air around her so compressed it was a blade that slashed through the eight angels that had targeted her.

Andra defeated the remaining two angels that targeted him. But more were on the way, all focused on them now.

Enri had bigger problems of her own. They had tried making a break for the trees, with the older children carrying infants and smaller children and running as hard as they could. However, more than fifty horsemen had targeted them, and were racing them to the treeline to intercept, circling the wall of the village. The one called Loial had stopped behind them and turned to face the oncoming horsemen, but Enri knew it would be a futile gesture.

'_If I don't blow this horn now, I'll never get to blow it again,' _thought Enri desperately as she clutched for the miniature horn hanging from her necklace, nails scraping the slopes of her bosom as she tried to dig the horn out while running. Putting it to her lips, she blew.

The first time she blew the horn all those months ago, it had sounded small and flat, like something of that size should. This time though, it was basso and _loud_. It reverberated deep in her bones, and filled the air. A moment later, and another horn answered her, every bit as deep as hers. It came from the woods ahead of them. The answering horn began to blare out a marching tune, and the most wonderful sight she had ever seen appeared.

There were goblins. Not a dozen like before. Not even a hundred. There was easily an army marching out of the woods. Ranks and ranks of goblin soldiers in different units marched out. The infantry of heavily armored goblins quickly put themselves between her and the children, and the formerly chasing (now dumbfounded) cavalry. She might not be able to read the expressions of Loial, but she'd bet her last copper that the ogier was stupefied beyond measure. Their armor glittered in the sunlight. They bore wicked looking halberds, and white, rectangular shields on their backs. They soon put the halberds to good use as they closed on the now paltry enemy cavalry. Less than a couple of minutes later, the pursuing soldiers were no more. The whole thing happened that fast.

All the while, the goblins kept on coming. All the while, the horn kept blaring.

She saw what looked like goblins riding. The riders poured round the goblin heavy infantry, and she saw their mounts clearly. They were riding wolves, jet black, or snow white - great armored monsters almost the height of a man, silent as a wolf gliding across the forest floor, even with the armor. The black wolves had armor the same color with their fur, and the goblins on them were armed with bows and curved swords dangling from the saddle. The white wolves had heavy looking white armor edged in gold. The riders carried lances and wicked looking maces. Under the sound of the heavy infantry's boots, the riders were eerily silent. They circled the village, the black wolves accelerating ahead of the more heavily armored white wolves, clearly looking to flank and harass the enemy before the smash from the white wolves.

All the while, the goblins kept on coming. All the while, the horn kept blaring.

Behind the heavy infantry, lighter armored ranks had started to emerge. Goblins with bows as tall as the bearers, quivers bristling with arrows. Goblins with massive crossbows, three goblins per crossbow team, with bolts that looked like they could punch through a horse. Goblins with slingshots and javelins. These wore what looked like leather armor, and their helms were open enough to show the terrible visage of 'angry goblin'.

All the while, the goblins kept on coming. All the while, the horn kept blaring.

Behind these, came goblins that were evidently magic casters. Heavy robed, staff wielding goblins. Flashes of light flickered around them as they cast buffs on the soldiers ahead of them. Their purple robes seemed to swallow the light around them, yet it was nothing compared to those among them who wore robes of the deepest black.

And still the goblins kept coming.

Enri sat down hard on the grass. A group of around 30 heavy infantry had detached from the main army and stayed with her as the army marched the way the pursuers had come, shield bearing heavy infantry forming the first rank, and drawing short swords she hadn't seen initially. The army was evidently seeking to provide the anvil for the smash by the circling wolf-riders.

A smartly dressed goblin with a hand fan walked up to her, surrounded by three other goblins.

"Enri sama," he said, bowing. The goblins with him all saluted smartly, and the infantry that formed their guard as well.

"R-Raise your heads please," Enri stammered out.

The hand fan goblin raised his head, a mixture of adoration and eagerness in his eyes.

"I am Sun, the goblin Strategist of your glorious army. Would you be so kind as to come watch as we smash the fools who dared oppose you?"

There was quite a snarl in his voice as he spoke about Barbro and his army.

"Glory to Enri sama!" chanted the goblins around him, stamping their boots. Enri felt like her face would catch fire.

* * *

Chenna watched dispassionately as goblins poured from where the knights had gone trying to circle the village in case anyone tried to flee.

"Sunlight Scripture! Alpha formation!" she shouted.

Her men broke away from Barbro's army, and formed two ranks facing the goblins. The first rank of twenty, and the second of ten, the gate temporarily forgotten. She herself remained behind them. The twenty would summon angels, and the ten behind them would buff the summoners, and by extension, the summons.

"Summon Archangel flames!" she ordered.

Twenty archangel flames, powerful third tier summons, rushed at the goblin line and began to decimate it. The heavy armor did not matter much, at least to the archangels. Their swords of light cleaved through amour and flesh with equal ease. The kingdom soldiers tried to rally and reform lines to deal with the threat, utilizing the chaos the angels brought. Out of sight, the gate was promptly designated as Barbro's responsibility.

However, screams from the far line drew her attention. Goblins on horses, no _wolves_, had began to maul the flanks of the kingdom army. She spared no glance for them just yet.

"Call back your summons," said a gravelly voice just below and behind her. As she tried to turn to the voice, she suddenly realized that there was a blade at her neck. A goblin in blank ninja attire was perched on her horse with her, the wicked sickle in its hands at her neck. She swallowed, and slowly raised her hands as if in surrender.

'_Underestimated again. Praise Surshana.'_

With that, she threw herself backwards at the ninja, slamming into it, and taking them both off the horse. As she landed, she felt a crunch from the ninja beneath her. Rolling off, she saw the pitiful thing crushed beneath her weight. Driving her blade into its neck, she felt near orgasmic pleasure as it died. She straightened to see a red haired beauty in a maid outfit leaning on her horse and clapping while staring at her, a wide smile on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Wheel and the Great Tomb of Nazarick**

**A FAN FICTION BY BUF_BUODA **

**CHAPTER 6**

* * *

_A/N: Double upload! Insert usual disclaimers, and on with the story!_

* * *

_Carne Village..._

The woman called Moiraine was extremely interesting. She had kept the arrows at bay, raised a wall of flames to keep the cavalry at bay, and eliminated the second batch of summoned angels that charged her and the swordsman. Destroying the summons was the first time she attacked directly though. A white bar of pure light had struck the angels, carving them up. Everywhere the bar touched, the angels faded away as though they hadn't been there at all. Things got a bit boring when the goblin army arrived, and the summoners had to redirect their angels to keep them at bay. Lupu could not see how she made her spells, even though she felt her the mana in the spells. Her method was interesting, and solidified the the resolve the maid had to take the meat bag to Ainz-sama.

'_There goes my fun,' _thought Lupusregina Beta sourly as the summoned angels focused on the goblin army. That too had been a surprise initially, and Lupu took note of it for her next report to Ainz-sama. For now though, it was time for something else.

Lupu hopped down from her seat on the wall, and strolled up to the horse of the leader of the rude people who summoned the angels, intent on ending the engagement now. The woman didn't notice her at all. She didn't notice the nin goblin that crept up on her either - at least until his sickle was to her neck. She recovered though. The way she took advantage of the nin goblin's reluctance to kill her was masterful, and the twisted look of ecstasy on her face was, in Lupusregina's mind, a redeeming quality. That was why she dropped her stealth and applauded the woman instead.

The woman snarled and rushed at Lupusregina at what was probably her best speed. Pathetic. But with some re-education with Demiurge-sama, she might actually become passable. After all, she had some parts of the right attitude already.

'_Better check with Ainz-sama,'_ thought the maid as she dodged a swing of the drawn blade of her opponent, tore out the throat of her horse that tried to kick her with one hand, and took a [Message] scroll out of her inventory with the other.

[Message]

_[Ainz-sama, Lupusregina here]_

She noticed that the woman had jumped back with worry on her face as she accessed her inventory. Her eyes flicked to her dead horse, and she was on guard as Lupusregina activated the scroll. Then, she spread her arms and summoned an angel.

'_Crafty,'_ thought the maid. The woman obviously didn't want to recklessly close with someone who used an unknown scroll. Her value went up a bit in the maid's mind.

_[Lupusregina, report]_ came the impossibly delicious voice of Ainz-sama in her head as he responded to the message. He sounded like he was enjoying himself, and Lupusregina had a very naughty image of him, Shalltear-sama, and the guardian supervisor working… hard. She mentally bookmarked the image in her head to flesh out later.

As she started her report, the angel attacked her. She casually swiped the summoned angel to the ground, braced it with her legs, and tore it apart with her free hand. The look on the woman's face was amazing. Combined with her other naughty image, she nearly lost control.

_[Umu,] _replied Ainz-sama as she concluded her report,

_[Capture the woman alive. Kill everyone else. I will send Yuri to assist you, and handle the transport of those strangers to where I will choose.]_

The message ended just as her prey recovered from her shock and summoned another angel.

'_Uwaaa… Another angel? Boring!'_ thought Lupusregina in annoyance.

"Are you Ainz Ooal Gown?" asked the woman in a quiet voice filled with rage.

Lupusregina smiled to herself, sensing that this might not be as boring as she'd just thought it would.

'_Ah… Just the type I enjoy…'_

* * *

The woman kept up with her attack, casually matching her speed easily and gliding out of the way as she swung her blade at her. That was the first sign that Chenna had about the danger of the maid before her. She redirected her objective, slashing in such a way as to guide the maid into the kicking heels of her warhorse. It worked - to a point. The woman maneuvered and tore out the throat of her horse with her bare hand, while reaching her other hand into what looked like a hole in reality.

She jumped back in alarm, quickly putting some distance between herself and the maid, and quickly summoned an angel. Her instincts were screaming at her, but she ignored them. She was more interested in how her talent hadn't identified any spells the maid had used.

'_Does it mean that she's kept up with me by sheer physical ability? Seems impossible. But then, she __tore__ the throat of the poor horse out with her bare hands. What is that scroll?'_

Deciding that it would be foolish to stand around and wait to find out, she ordered the angel to attack, and watched carefully for an opening. The scroll disappeared, used up as the maid raised her hand to her forehead and began to mumble.

'_A message spell? She can use a message spell even with the angel attacking her?'_

Then, the stakes suddenly jumped astronomically higher. Chenna saw something that she never even knew was possible.

The maid literally _tore_ the angel to pieces. Just grabbed the arms, and then the head, and pulled them off, one at a time, while holding it down with her feet. It didn't even look particularly hard the way she did it. For a moment, fear almost overwhelmed her. Then it was all burned away by her next realization, and the rage that came with it.

"Are you Ainz Ooal Gown," she asked the maid, her voice soft and filled with rage. The woman just smiled wider.

"No I'm not. I'm not worthy to undo the clasps of Ainz-sama's robes - though I certainly hope he'd allow me to do so," replied the maid, naughty amusement filling her voice. It seemed so surreal.

She knew she would be unable to defeat the maid, but it made no difference to her. Summoning another angel, she ordered it to attack immediately, and was right behind it, activating her martial arts and coming in from the blind spot the size of the angel must have created. She saw the maid blur, and the angel got yanked brutally into the air. A hand grabbed her by the back of the neck and slammed her into the ground, her arm at an awkward angle under her body. She heard a sick snap. At the same time, she felt the tremble in the ground as the angel was slammed into it just after her, and saw the mana particles scatter as the force of the blow destroyed the angel..

She tried to get up, and the pain in her arm intensified to the point of agony, nearly making her pass out. With a supreme effort, she rolled on to her back, and grit her teeth against the blurring of her vision by the vicious spike of pain that was her entire left side. Her left elbow was bent at an awkward angle, and spears of agony lanced through her the longer she looked at it.

"Aww… Seems I used a bit too much force," said the maid as she straightened. Her soldiers had noticed what was happening as soon as her horse was killed, but they had been engaged with the goblin army in front of them. They could spare her no attention - until now. Two scripture members had ordered their angels to attack the maid. It proved to be a fatal error.

As the angels rushed her, the maid stood there with her head slightly cocked. The angels made to impale her on their blades, but she grabbed them both by their sword arms, and using them as clubs, blurred towards the line of her men and tore into them. Somehow, she knew who summoned the angels - she saved them for last.

It was over in heartbeats.

Nothing was left besides smears on the ground, and the motes of mana as the angels disintegrated. She gasped, and pain from her chest joined the chorus from her arm. Probably cracked a few ribs.

"[Dull Pain]," muttered Chenna, finally gathering herself enough to activate a martial art. The pain in her arm and chest faded to a fraction of what it was, and she struggled to her feet. Her head knew that she could not best the maid, but her heart could not bear the thought.

"[Possibility Sense], [Sense Weakness]," she activated two more martial arts, looking for something, anything that could give her a chance of victory.

There was nothing.

'_Great Surshana, what have we got ourselves into?'_ she thought wearily. She fumbled for her pouch and drew out her two best healing potions, downing them immediately. The pain in her arm receded as the elbow snapped back into position, and her cracked ribs healed. She didn't undo her martial arts, hoping against hope that something would happen.

Yet, even that faint glimmer of hope burnt away when the maid turned, and she saw the look of almost sexual satisfaction on her face. Her outfit was spotless - like she'd done nothing at all. The maid turned and sauntered back to her, an impossibly wide grin on her face, and Chenna sank to the ground along with her heart.

* * *

Adrenaline still coursed through Barbro, a result of his near escape from the reaper. The commotion started when a goblin army had poured round the walls of the village.

'_They must have been stalling to give the army enough time to get here. How did they make it here so quietly?!'_ thought Barbro furiously as he shouted orders. The Scripture bitch broke away with her soldiers, and in short order, had stonewalled the goblin infantry advance.

'_Those angels are deadly,'_ thought Barbro as he watched a mere 20 angels wreck havoc on the goblin lines. Without any martial arts, the goblins were woefully outclassed, despite the weight of their infantry charge.

A shout from his other flank brought what Barbro had been expecting - goblin wolf riders.

"Hold them in place," he said to the infantry commander. Rallying his knights, he prepared to pour round the pike line and match the wolf riders pound for pound.

All his plans went out of the window though, as he felt the cold edge of a curved blade against his throat.

A scratchy voice whispered demands for his surrender. He could feel the body heat of the thing - likely a goblin assassin. Focusing his senses, he pinpointed where exactly it was behind him.

'_This thing is underestimating me,'_ thought Barbro bitterly.

He might not have been as mentally nimble as the fat fool Zanac, or a genius like that peasant his father kept by his side, but his martial prowess was nothing to scoff at.

Quick as a flash, he reached across his body and gripped the curved blade, yanking it brutally away from the goblin while throwing his elbow back viciously. He felt a satisfying crunch as the combination of his armored elbow and the rearing horse knocked the goblin off his mount. It fell and struggled to rise immediately, blood pouring from its face, and it was the simplest of tasks to guide the hooves of his mount to crush it's skull.

Two wolf-riders had broken through the pike line, broken bodies in their wake as they charged Barbro. His guards intercepted them and killed one, but the other leapt at him, blade drawn and fangs of the wolf mount slavering. Barbro danced away from the leap, and swung at the wolf as it passed him, chopping into its neck and severing its spine in a rage powered blow. The rider jumped off and turned to meet the hooves of Barbro's mount straight in the face in a satisfying crunch.

The prince pulled his reins viciously, turning with the intention of rounding on his bodyguards. The goblin cavalry had crashed on the pike line, and the line held for the moment, but the chance to charge the goblins as they wheeled and disengaged from the pikes was gone. However, something that could not be caught his attention through the corners of his eyes.

He looked about in panic and saw nothing where the scriptures had previously held the goblins back. The charging goblins were dangerously close and maintaining discipline as they charged his position.

"Cavalry to me!" he screamed as the cavalry formed up as quickly as they could to meet the new threat.

'_Useless!'_ he thought viciously as they engaged the goblins. The cavalry made a good show of themselves, but they were poorly matched against the goblin line. Some of his pike used the opportunity of the wheeling wolf-riders to form up on the flanks of the cavalry and protect them. It was a bitter fight - the goblins were stronger, but the humans were motivated by the seeming hopelessness of their situation.

The battle ground on, and the prince could not tell how long it had gone on when his problems got more complicated. He could see what was obviously a cadre of goblin magic casters sauntering up to join the battle, and his hopes fell. They had severely underestimated this Ainz Ooal Gown.

With shaking hands, he tore a white cloth from his saddlebags and gave it to one of his bodyguards. The man quickly tied it to his lance and hoisted it up, waving as hard as he could. The goblins saw the flag and stopped attacking as his men threw down their swords as fast as they could.

A _loud_ clap rent the air.

There was an immediate stop as every eye turned towards the direction of the clap. Barbro saw something that his mind refused to believe, despite what his eyes told him. Tied to the flagpole that stood on the wall by the gate was the leader of the Sunlight Scripture in nothing but the flag of the kingdom. Beside her was a redhead beauty dressed like a maid - of all things. She was balanced easily on the wall - no mean feat for a woman in skirts. She raised her hands and clapped again. _Really loudly_.

"Everyone stop!" She said, her voice carrying over the entire battlefield and stopping everyone. Even though she was clearly audible, her voice showed no hint of strain despite the volume.

All movement ground to a halt, and the goblins actually withdrew a little way back.

Space warped beside the redhead. An oval tear in reality began to open, and then widened. It looked like it swallowed light utterly. A pale faced woman dressed in a similar maid outfit stepped out, adjusting the glasses perched on her nose. Her stern aura reminded the prince of his stricter tutors. Just like the time he'd been caught by a nurse peeping at her in the bath chambers, Barbro had the inescapable feeling that things were about to get really bad.

* * *

Yuri Alpha adjusted her glasses and stepped calmly on to the wall surrounding Carne. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the woman hanging from the flagpole.

'_Lupu and her weird games,' _she thought with a small sigh.

She looked at the fools that had dared attack the village Ainz-sama himself had protected.

'_Unacceptable. But it will be put right summarily,'_ she thought to herself. Looking down, she saw the huge fighting man at the gate, and the diminutive woman a few yards behind him, shock painted openly on their faces as they gazed up at her.

'_Those must be the ones Albedo-dono referred to that interest Ainz-sama,'_

"Nee-sama," said Lupu cheerfully as she waved at her.

"Lupu-chan," replied Yuri, "I thought you'd have wrapped things up by now, given your propensity to let yourself go." She eyed the other maid out of the corner of her eyes.

"Muu!" pouted Lupu. "I tried to leave some fun for you and you're poking fun at me. No fair, Nee-sama."

"I appreciate the gesture Lupu, but we must hurry," she said as she equipped her gauntlets. "Shalltear-dono is eagerly awaiting these visitors at the fortress Aura-dono is constructing."

"Race you?" said Lupu as she cracked her own knuckles in anticipation as well.

'_She will never change,'_ thought Yuri fondly as the redhead jumped down from the wall and rushed at the fools. Yuri made sure to step down from the wall as well - it wouldn't do to destroy the work of the Ainz-sama's humans after all.

* * *

Lan had never seen the raw display of power he had experienced in the last few minutes. He was still in shock from the portal. Moiraine had been unable to contain herself, and she whispered its name. _Travelling_ \- the weave of legends.

Out stepped _another_ beauty, this one infinitely more composed. She talked a little with the redhead maid, who promptly jumped from the wall and teleported towards the army. It was astonishing. One moment she was jumping from the wall, the next she was in front of the army and laying into them with her bare hands. The sheer brutality shocked even someone like him who had been born and bred in the thick of battle.

The newly arrived maid moved more leisurely, that is, Lan could follow her with his eyes, albeit with great difficulty. She was wearing gauntlets, and a spiked, bulky arm guard that covered the whole of her forearm. She moved in the wake of the red whirlwind and effectively dispatched whoever had not died instantly. She must be at least as strong as Lupusregina - the heads she punched exploded like fruit.

A few moments later, and the army broke. The soldiers ran in every direction, preferring to die pushing against the blades of the goblins than to face the whirlwind of death mowing through them. The knights had a better idea though - about 300 of them charged at the gate of the village, hoping to force their way in.

A feeling of tremendous dread gripped Lan as the newly arrived maid blurred ahead of the knights, and stood in front of the gates where he was. A wave of insane blood lust poured off her before it was gone so suddenly that one might have doubted it ever existed.

Adjusting the spectacles on her nose, the maid spoke,

"Do you fools really think that I would allow you to touch this village that the Supreme One has taken interest in to protect?"

The person leading the charge faltered a bit, but picked up again, screaming at the top of his lungs powered by desperate terror. The distance might not be enough to get to maximum speed for the charge, but with 100 armored horses and their riders. It shouldn't have made a difference.

It didn't. The maid massacred them all.

First, she punched straight down, striking the ground. The shock wave rattled the walls of the village, and cracks appeared in the pillars of the gate. Yet in front of the maid, it was absolute destruction. The wave spread out, and the first 3 lines of charging knights simply exploded. Chunks of wrecked armour and bloody meat rained down on those remaining. The legs of the horses behind the line that exploded broke like so much kindling. A few others exploded as well. Lan could clearly see the face of one of the charging knights. It was contoured into a rictus of insanity and absolute despair. His horse crashed down a heartbeat later, its legs gone. Lan imagined he could hear the snap as the man slammed into the ground face first after being thrown.

The group was thrown into chaos, and the maid went about in her efficient manner, dispatching swathes of soldiers at a time. He heard the women retch, and Mat as well. He felt the same way.

He imagined those women unleashed on their world.

'_I am sure that Moiraine must have realized it by now,'_ thought Lan grimly as he watched the slaughter wind down. _'These women, and this Ainz Ooal Gown that they represent are a force that must never be unleashed on our world.'_

* * *

_Katze Plains..._

Terror had its cold grip firmly on the heart of Azor, a member of the Clearwater Scripture. They were told that they were going to be observing a 'dangerous entity' by the name of Ainz Ooal Gown. The orders had stressed in the strongest terms that the entity was extremely dangerous, but seeing what was happening right now with his own eyes really put it in perspective for the diminutive man. Merely saying 'dangerous' meant nothing - Zesshi was dangerous. Ainz Ooal Gown was something more.

Azor was a double agent. He had been a sleeper agent masquerading as a Baharuth Empire soldier, and was activated for this mission once it was discovered that his legion would be taking the field in this conflict. He was extremely fortunate to be on this side of the conflict. His heart sincerely bled for his other Clearwater comrades who would inevitably be in the armies facing the horror that the Ainz Ooal Gown called 'adorable little lambs'.

It all started innocuously. A carriage that was beautiful beyond measure suddenly appeared on the way to their garrison. The carriage was welcomed in with minimal fuss, and he was mildly surprised to see _the _"Gale" Nimble - celebrated Empire knight, and one of the 4 that guarded the Bloody Emperor himself - there to welcome the carriage along with the commander, General Kabien.

Even stranger, they were asked to present arms to greet the exceptionally tall man with a mask and oppressive atmosphere as he stepped down from the carriage - and by Sir Nimble himself. The command was so strange that no one complied, confusion on all their faces. Nimble repeated the order, and eventually, Kabien had to restate the order before the men complied. The masked man did not seem offended in any way.

'_So, this is the Ainz fellow?'_ thought Azor to himself, slightly disappointed. The oppressive atmosphere was gone, and Azor began to doubt that it was ever even there in the first place.

'_Well, the gauntlets little child has are something, I guess?'_ thought Azor, trying to overcome the feeling of disappointment and stay professional.

As the party of Nimble, Kabien, Ainz, and the little child moved away, Azor watched the lips of those whose faces he could see, trying to piece together their conversation. Apparently, at least from the answers of Nimble, and later Kabien, the so called Sorcerer king must have asked if he could bring his own soldiers. Nimble and Kabien craned their necks up, looking at the sky as though searching for something, before bringing their gaze back to Ainz Ooal Gown.

Azor's interest piqued as Gown put his hands to his forehead in the unmistakable gesture of a [Message] spell. Shortly after, space warped behind Gown.

Silence fell on the camp as a black, ovoid tear in reality materialized behind Gown. The terror started when the first _things_ stepped out of that dark portal.

Huge undead monsters at least 2 metres tall, bearing a large tower shield, and a flamberge. They marched out of the hole in neat ranks of 25 per row. Menace poured off them. They seemed to be hatred materialized. As they came out, they headed straight for the back of the ranks, inserting themselves easily behind the poor unfortunates bringing up the rear of the formation.

* * *

Waria Mondo, or Aria, as she was commonly known, gripped the reins of her horse tightly, terror oozing from her every pore. The entire wing of the army of the kingdom - 70,000 men and their horses - had just died. The ordinariness of whatever killed them was part of the terror. There were no flashes of light, beyond the light show that surrounded the target as it prepared to cast whatever it did. There was no explosion or effect that showed the spell taking hold - besides the light show ending. There was of course the inescapable fact the 70,000 men and their animals had just keeled over and died while charging the enemy. It was all terrifyingly surreal.

It was unfortunate that she had drawn to infiltrate the Kingdom's army - though it hadn't seemed that way initially. The Kingdom raised armies by forced conscription, making it easy to infiltrate. She also didn't need to do much to impress the officers, and rise rapidly through the ranks. A fraction of her skill with the spear was enough to win her adulation, and even the vaunted Warrior Captain had once looked in on one of her sparring matches.

Yet now, as she contemplated the deathly silence that had fallen on the battlefield, she could not help but feel tremendously unlucky.

A shadow loomed over her. Looking up, she noted a black sphere of what looked like concentrated darkness descending from the sky. As it came down, the sphere grew larger and darker - like a demonic parody of ripening fruit. The sphere hit the middle of the ground where all those men and women had died, and burst, covering all the corpses in what had now become a sea of blackness.

Then came a sound that would haunt Aria till the day she was reborn.

**Meeeehhhhhhhhh!**

The sound of a goat bleating filled the air. It sounded like it came from everywhere. Aria could feel her bones vibrating from the resonance.

Immediately, other bleats responded to the initial one. A cacophony of bleats rang out, deafening to everyone who heard it. She tore her eyes from the things that were emerging from the darkness - misshapen, tentacled things with mouths wider than even the largest barn doors she'd seen.

She saw the Warrior Captain as he rode furiously for the command tent, Marquis Raeven right behind him with his quartet of former adventurers.

'_Those men are my best chance of escaping from this hell. I WILL NOT DIE HERE!'_

Thus resolved, she turned her mount after the Marquis as the others stood around, frozen in terror.

* * *

Intermission…

"Lucifer, where are you coming from?"

Lucifer considered the question HE asked - although to call HIM a _HE_ was a gross misstatement.

'_The obscenity of the idea of being even beyond language… Every time I appear in this infernal place, I am reminded of the rationality of my rebellion,' _thought Lucifer to himself.

"Oh, you know… Just wandering to and fro. Tinkering a bit, as I am prone to doing." He didn't use his infernal voice - it only made him look silly, especially since the One on the Throne was talking normally. He made the effort to think of the One on the Throne as just that - it wouldn't do to refer to his eminent self in the same manner he referred to the enemy after all.

"I saw what you did, Lucifer. Why did you show the parasite to _that_ reality?" came the question from the throne.

"It is not against the laws," countered Lucifer.

"You are correct," replied the throne. "I am interested in that slice of reality though. Care to wager?"

"This is one of the reasons I violently hurled myself from you - are you still spreading the idea that _I _was thrown out? - You give these disgusting vermin _choices!_" spat Lucifer.

"You dare, Lucifer?" growled a presence that stood before the throne.

"Quiet, _Mike_," replied Lucifer, putting as much derision into the name as he could. "You are a brute; and do not forget, I was the Lord of the Morning. Do not let me show you what that means."

"Lucifer, it saddens me that you will not understand my heart." said the One on the Throne, sadness filling the voice as the exchange between He and Michael was ignored. "No matter, Let it play out here again. Will you still refuse my wager?"

Lucifer turned away from the throne.

'_I should never have come here. It always makes me so…'_


	7. Chapter 7

**THE WHEEL AND THE GREAT TOMB OF NAZARICK**

**A FAN FICTION BY BUF_BUODA**

**CHAPTER 7**

* * *

_AN: Hello everyone! Sorry for the late upload - work has been hectic. For my readers in quarantine, stay safe. For those like me whose jobs involve medical work, stay safe too, and God bless._

_I'm not going to lie, I've had a bad case of... let's call it plot uncertainty. I know-ish where the plot should go, but have been having some difficulty writing it - when I have the time or energy to. _

_For the commenter who was bothered about the appearance of somewhat supernatural beings in the story, we ARE in a story that has the Dark One, the Creator, the god of justice, etc. Getting bothered about others is kinda... strange._

_Thanks to everyone who played a role in betaing or proofing in one form or another, and thanks to all the readers who have any interest in the story so far. You guys rock!_

_For the readers who might be interested in betaing this fic, or generating ideas, please PM me. I'm over at atheistbasementdragon's discord._

* * *

_Carn__e Village, Aftermath..._

The fields that surrounded Carne had become a killing ground. The goblins carted the bodies away into mass graves for disposal in the forest, yet the stink of death was pervasive. Rand's stomach hurt. He'd emptied it time and time again as he watched the maid in glasses 'work'. She had introduced herself later as Yuri Alpha, a combat maid of 'the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

'_How fitting that they call their organization a great tomb,'_ thought Rand as he stood listlessly, watching Yuri converse with Moiraine. Once, he might have derived some pleasure from watching Moiraine not perfectly balanced, but not this time.

"Once we are ready, you and your party will accompany me, Moiraine-san," said the maid loud enough this time for Rand to hear where he was slouched.

"You mean we will accompany you to this Nazarick?" said Moiraine, with some of her usual ice composure.

The maid adjusted her glasses, somehow giving the impression of being mildly irritated.

"Of course not," she replied. "We will not allow mere humans to enter the Great Tomb without the express invitation of the Supreme Being." Glancing at Loial, she seemed to think for a moment before adding, "But if your companion, Loial-san wishes, he could petition to swear fealty to the Supreme One, and become a member of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. There is precedence for it, though I imagine others will not take it too well. Or they might, who knows?"

She suddenly frowned to herself.

"I am unusually chatty," she said squinting at Moiraine. "I do not know what you are doing, but now I feel it, it will not work again."

'_What Moiraine is doing?'_ thought Rand.

His thoughts were interrupted by the moan coming from the figure still tied to the flagpole above the gate.

"Lupu," Yuri began, "bring her down."

"Yuri nee-san, if we leave her there, we won't have to worry about her wandering off," replied the other maid, Lupusregina Beta.

Rand was uneasy around Yuri, but he was downright terrified of the redhead maid. She had torn into the now dead men with a glee that had seemed almost sexual. He soon discovered that it actually was. Her rampage was frightening beyond belief, yet he could not take his eyes off of it. She was a blur as she killed – ripping off arms and beating the owners to death with it, tearing off heads and throwing them through other poor unfortunates. The only times she was visible was when she stopped, back arched and lips parted in a smile, blood dripping from her perfectly manicured fingers, yet somehow not staining her spotless maid uniform, and clearly experiencing an orgasm. It happened twice, and that was the most terrifying of all.

She was a whirlwind that reeked of death and pain.

He reflexively gripped the hilt of his sword so hard that his knuckles turned white as she began walking towards them. She'd been teasing Enri. His estimation of the blonde as a peaceful girl had gone out of the window. There was absolutely no way she could be friends with _that thing_ otherwise.

Thinking about that brought to mind one other thing he did not want to think about – the reaction of his friend Perrin to the redheaded maid from Nazarick.

* * *

The thoughts that had bubbled up in Perrin as he watched the redhead maid were the most frightening thing he had ever experienced since he started hearing the wolves in his head. He was drawn inexplicably to her in ways he did not understand.

He had tried to calm himself down. Because of his size, he'd learned how to rely more on his head that his fists, and by extension, his impulses. Yet all the control he had built up was failing him.

He kept one ear on the conversation between the Aes Sedai and the maid that had introduced herself as Yuri Alpha. Initially, the maid had shocked him. She smelled _alive _in a way that was hard to describe. He could have wagered anything that if he tried to touch her, he would actually touch a tangible aura of energy that suffused and surrounded her.

Now that he could identify it, he noticed he could smell the same thing from Lupusregina – but he quickly took his mind off her. He had enough problems with his impulses around her without complicating things by thinking about her smell.

But as she came closer, he discovered the second, more terrifying thing about her – she smelled dead. It was like a corpse that was well taken care off was walking around. He did not know what to make of the dichotomy of the excess energy, and the corpse smell.

To say that the things the maids did troubled him would be an understatement of epic proportions. They had massacred an entire army right outside Carne, and they did it in less time than he could imagine – than should even be physically possible.

'_Such speed,'_ thought Perrin. _'There was absolutely no way those men would have survived. Yet just 2 of them did that...'_

He realized that his thoughts were wandering again, trying to escape the conundrum that was the redhead maid.

In summary, he could not get away from the feeling that she was a wolf of some sort. Not a man and wolf like Elyas, but a wolf and something else.

'_Maybe it would be more accurate to call her a different kind of wolf?'_ thought Perrin, consciously keeping his eyes from going back to her.

He had to fight the irresistible urge to see her as his matriarch.

* * *

Nynaeve had been angry when the initial plans the Aes Sedai had for the defense of the village excluded her – although her anger contended with her relief at the boys not being exposed to danger. After all, they would be killing men this time – not trollocs.

Lan fought well. The first men to rush the gates died. He was beautiful to her, even when taking lives. The goblins had rallied around him, killing off men that he incapacitated, and pilling their bodies as obstacles for the other men coming at them. The enemy caught on quickly though, and soon pulled back the foot soldiers to make way for a cavalry charge at the gate.

Moiraine stepped up and brought up the wall of flames like she did when they were fleeing Baerlon. Horses balked at the flames, throwing their riders into it. In short order, the charge was in shambles. She brought down the wall immediately, no doubt conserving her stamina for the long fight ahead.

Honestly, Nynaeve did not see any way they could win.

Her feelings were confirmed when flying monsters appeared and suddenly rushed the gate. Fear coiled around her heart for Lan – she could not let him go, no matter what nonsense he said about duty and the like. A few frantic moments of fighting, and he was still alive, but all the goblins that held the gate with him died. After the first wave of the creatures were destroyed, she realized that one goblin survived – the one called Jugem.

She felt relief, but it was short lived. In short order, more of the flying monsters appeared, rushing at the gate.

'_Where are they coming from?'_ she thought, despair filling her heart. If the first wave had wiped out the goblins, this second one would be solely focused on the Aes Sedai and her Lan.

She could not look at Lan – to her shame. Turning her head away, her eyes fell on the Aes Sedai just behind and to the side of Lan. She gripped her angrael with one hand, and lifted the other, concentration etched on her face. A hair-thin bar of liquid light flashed from her fingers, impacting the flying creatures. She swept it up and to the side, lancing them all with it. The creatures disappeared, vanishing into motes of light that left an after image in Nynaeve's vision.

'_What was that?!'_ thought Nynaeve, shocked to her core. The Aes Sedai slumped, and seemed to be leaning heavily on her staff, totally out of breath. Nynaeve rushed to her to tend her and got her first good look at the army arrayed in front of them.

"We can't win," a treacherous whisper escaped her lips. Moiraine did not contradict her. She simply leaned on her and her staff, struggling to catch her breath

"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills," whispered the Aes Sedai after a pause, more to herself than in response to Nynaeve.

Then came the sound of a horn blown, deep and long. Almost immediately, the sound of marching feet followed the horn. Hope flared in Nynaeve's heart.

'_The soldiers of this Ainz Wool Gown,'_ she thought happily.

Fear came bubbling to the surface again. Glancing at the woman, she blurted out the question that accompanied the fear.

"What if they are reinforcements for this army?" she asked.

Moiraine smiled. She also seemed to have come to the conclusion that the marching soldiers were reinforcements of Ainz Wool Gown.

"Look at the army before us," she replied, straightening and glancing at Nynaeve with a look of appreciation. "They are also confused. If the horns were their reinforcements, they would not look so," concluded Moiraine.

Nynaeve looked at the soldiers in front of them. Standing beside Moiraine, she had a better view of the battlefield that the field in front of the village gate had become. She saw the soldiers turn to face the new threat, and saw some strangely dressed soldiers ride towards the sound, flying monsters appearing over their heads as they lifted their hands as though praying.

The two armies clashed outside Nynaeve's field of vision, but what happened next was well within it.

A redhead woman dressed in a scandalous maid outfit hopped down from the top of the wall, winked at the group of 4, before disappearing completely.

Moiraine looked absolutely stupefied, so much that Lan had to physically touch her to get her attention. He and Jugem had stepped back a little to be within talking distance. Jugem put his sword away and sat down.

"Are there soldiers not still out there?" asked Nynaeve. "Are you hoping to surrender?" she spat. Lan glanced at her. Just a glance, but she could feel his extreme displeasure like a physical slap. She blushed and looked away.

Jugem didn't seem to mind.

"Oh no, Nynaeve-san. It's just that Lupu-sama has decided to get involved. They are all going to die."

"Lupu-sama? Who's..."

"How did she disappear?" asked Moiraine, interrupting Nynaeve.

Until Moiraine asked that question, Nynaeve had assumed that the redhead used the power.

'_But if Moiraine is asking...'_ shock kept Nynaeve silent.

Jugem didn't seem surprised by the question at all.

"We don't know, Moiraine-san. She just disappears and appears at will. She uses it to prank Enri nee-sama a lot."

Turning to Nynaeve, he continued,

"Lupu-sama is a 'combat Pleiades maid' of Ainz-sama. According to her, they are one of the lower ranked combat enupeeshees of Ainz-sama."

"Lower ranked? So how are 'they' all going to die?" That was the first thing Lan had said so far.

Jugem laughed.

"She's low ranked only to other servants of Ainz-sama. To us, she might as well be a demigod!"

At such a bold declaration, Nynaeve could only stare with her jaw on her chest.

* * *

The woman just disappeared.

Of all the things Moiraine had seen her do, this one was the most disconcerting, mostly because she felt a whisper of something, like the memory of Saidar being used.

'_Is this it how it felt to her when I held the power?'_ wondered Moiraine.

'_Yet how did she catch such a fleeting feeling? If I had not seen her disappear, I would not have known to feel for anything at all,'_ thought Moiraine.

She listened to Jugem's confident declaration of the maid's strength, and it just confirmed her own conclusions. When the goblin had declared that Lupusregina would massacre the army in front of them, she initially thought it was an exaggeration. The goblin was dead serious though.

Giving Lan a look, he nodded imperceptibly and asked the question on her mind.

"Lower ranked? So how are 'they' all going to die?"

The answer Jugem gave chilled her to her core.

'_A demigod' _thought Moiraine.

She did not know _exactly_ what that meant, but if her intuition was correct, it was really bad news.

Sure enough, shortly after that, Lupusregina reappeared, a lightly armoured woman slumped over her shoulder. She dumped her unceremoniously at their feet.

"Jugem, I need some rope," she said, as she bent and ripped the armour off the woman. The goblin ran towards the house of Enri, no doubt headed towards the shed there. In short order, the woman was naked.

The maid slapped her across the face.

The slap jolted the woman awake, and Moiraine imagined how it would look from her perspective to see the maid filling her vision. Sure enough, she reacted the way any reasonable person would – _'or at least anyone who'd contended with her even once,'_ thought Moiraine bitterly, remembering her own humiliation at the hands of the maid. The hands of the captive went to her side, grasping for where her weapon would be. She seemed to realize that she was naked though. She flinched initially, and Moiraine saw the effort she made not to contract on herself to cover whatever modesty she had.

The maid smiled even wider.

"Heya!" she said in a voice that was too cheerful for the circumstance.

The captive flinched from her eyes this time, unable to arrest the motion on time.

"You are lucky," the maid continued. "When you and your rude friends decided to attack a village that Ainz-sama himself had chosen to protect, you should have all been captured and given to Demiurge-dono. Fortunately, you caught my interest, and your other rude friends were shown Nazarick's mercy."

"Mercy?" spat the captive. "You destroyed my men without any mercy, you monster!"

The maid just smiled wider.

"Oh dear, you seem to have a misunderstanding. In Nazarick, a quick death is a mercy."

To Moiraine, that smiling face was terrifying, as though the maid was truly enjoying all she did.

"You however," drawled the maid, caressing the ear of the captive and running a hand down the side of her face and on to her neck. "You'll be my tribute to Ainz-sama. After all, Ainz-sama did say we should make our own decisions and try and grow. Be proud – I chose to keep you because I hope you could be of some small use to Nazarick, properly trained."

As Jugem jogged back towards them, coils of rope in his hands, she stood with a nod to Lan, and turned as though to head back out. The captive woman exploded into motion as soon as the maid's back was turned, rushing at her so fast that Moiraine could barely process the speed. As fast as she was, Moiraine knew that the maid was faster.

She was right.

In a blur of motion, the maid had the woman in a hold with her arms behind her. The motion pushed her breasts out in a display that might have been erotic in another setting. There was no feeling of bloodlust from the maid – just amusement as she held the woman till Jugem arrived. She hit the woman in the back of the head, and her eyes rolled up in her head as she collapsed.

"Be glad I'm not in a nasty mood. I will not kill you – worry not. I would not want to damage my contribution to Nazarick after all." said the maid almost fondly.

All the commotion had brought Loial and the rest of the Emond fielders. The boys gaped at the naked woman – Perrin actually blushing bright red before turning away uncomfortably.

The maid paid them no mind, and jumped to the top of the gate with the woman and the coils of rope Jugem brought under her arm. She tied the woman to the flag pole – wrists above and behind her, feet together and to the pole.

"Won't you cover her up?!" spluttered Nynaeve, scandalized beyond her fear at seeing a woman treated so roughly.

"Hmm? Why would I do that?" asked the maid, genuine curiosity on her face.

Moiraine touched Nynaeve's arm to be silent. Gathering her thoughts, she answered the maid.

"For women, being seen by so many men might reduce their value. Isn't she a 'gift' for Ainz-sama?"

The maid smiled in delight.

"You're learning..." she crooned. "I'm happy you were thinking about how to please Ainz-sama." She reached out and took the flag that once flew on the flagpole, wrapping it around the woman casually.

Turning to the battlefield, and still balanced impossibly on the gate, she raised her hands and clapped.

* * *

It felt like her ears would explode.

The clap from the redhead maid was deafening. It actually forced air away from her in a shockwave with the maid as the centre.

"Everyone stop!" she said, her voice carrying without strain.

Egwene heard the sounds of battle that surrounded them fall away as a silence that was almost otherworldly fell on the battlefield.

Space warped beside the redhead maid as an oval tear in reality began to open, and then widen.

She heard Moiraine gasp out a word that meant nothing to her – "Travelling". Instead, the person that stepped out of the hole occupied all her attention.

She was also dressed like a maid, but in contrast to the redhead, she gave off the air of a serious, responsible elder sister. She made Egwene feel like an ugly cow. She adjusted spectacles that looked like clear, thin, and exquisitely cut crystal set in wire frames that was balanced on her beautiful nose. She didn't spare them a glance, instead looking at the redhead and speaking to her in a low voice that did not carry to those at the foot of the wall. From the pout on the face of the redhead, the newcomer was scolding her. A few more words, and the redhead jumped down from the wall and onto the battlefield.

Then the screams started.

The raw terror in the voices of the soldiers threatened to infect Egwene as well. The new maid also stepped off, but in a more leisurely manner.

For a moment, there was no sound besides the screams, and then Lan rushed outside the gates to see what was going on. Curiosity overcame Egwene, and she rushed after him. Apparently, the rest of the Emond fielders had the same idea. They stopped at the scene from the pits of the Dark One's mind.

The redhead was laying into the soldiers with great gusto, moving so fast she could not be seen. The results of her work were very visible though. Broken bodies littered the ground. Men with limbs, and heads ripped right off. Once, she stopped with her back arched, and mouth slightly open in an extremely lewd look. It took Egwene a moment to realize that the redhead had experienced an orgasm.

Horror roiled her stomach, and she hastily averted her eyes. Beside her, she heard Nynaeve emptying her stomach, sobs wrenched out of her between heaves.

She saw the newcomer maid in the wake of the redhead calmly dispatching those who hadn't been killed outright by the red whirlwind of death.

The poor soldiers broke, running into the blades of the strange army surrounding them, preferring that death to falling to the 2 avatars of utter destruction.

Some horsemen rallied and charged the gate in desperation, hoping no doubt to take them captive. The newcomer moved – one moment she was in one place and in front of the gate the next. A wave of blood lust poured off her so intensely Egwene was sure she could touch it if she stretched out her hand. She actually saw a few horses collapse as though their strings were cut, snapping the legs of their riders who were paralyzed with fear.

"Do you fools think I would allow you touch this village that the Supreme One has taken interest in to protect?"

The charge faltered, but picked up again, the terror fueled screams around spurring them on.

The maid punched the ground.

A shock wave threw them all to the ground – even Lan. Scrambling to her feet, she saw a horrible scene, as though the men had run into a meat grinder. The first 2 or 3 ranks of horses and men had exploded, chunks of meat flying everywhere, and a fine reddish mist filling the air. The horses behind those were maimed, legs simply torn off.

This time, Egwene could not keep her stomach where it was supposed to be.

* * *

Loial was _terrified_ of the 2 women – maids, they called themselves. He honestly did not care who knew. He mocked himself for his originally hasty happiness at this new world because of the trees.

'_What a fool I was!' _thought the ogier. '_Elder Haman was right – I am fatally hasty. I should never have left the Stedding,'_ mourned the ogier internally.

The Aes Sedai and her Warder were arguing a little way off after the 'conversation' the maid Yuri had with the Aes Sedai. It was not gracious to think it, but that was exactly what they were doing – arguing. He could see the tremendous unhappiness on the face of the Warder as his Aes Sedai no doubt pulled rank on him, effectively forcing his hand. The hard man eventually bowed – the perfect image of propriety as he acquiesced to the diminutive woman. The woman sighed, and curtseyed in response, shocking the man. She smiled a little smile at his discomfort.

Loial wanted to take comfort at the teasing between the 2 most powerful people in their group, but he had no illusions that their power meant anything – at least to the 2 monsters from this 'great tomb of Nazarick'. The part of the conversation that had been about him troubled him immensely.

The maid had essentially extended an invitation to him to join them. He did not know whether to be terrified, or grateful that they didn't see him like the others, as uncomfortable as that made him feel.

"Loial," called the Aes Sedai.

His ears picked up as he turned to her.

"Yes, Moiraine Sedai," he replied.

"Come," said the Aes Sedai, suiting her words and walking to where the Emond fielders were slumped despondently.

Loial followed her, taking great care not to look at the woman who was still bound above the gate.

As they arrived, the Aes Sedai raised her hands to forestall any questions. She had seen – as had he – the chest of Nynaeve heave as she took a deep breath in preparation for whatever questions she had in mind.

"We will be going to see this Ainz person," she said.

She sighed and her face became like ice.

"We do not have any options," she said. "He has asked for us directly. Even If he had not, I would have petitioned him. Now listen, I do not want _any_ fooling around. You must be absolutely silent where we are going, unless you are asked to speak. You need..."

"Why are you treating us like particularly stupid children?" interrupted Nynaeve, her temper flaring. "Every time 'Be silent,' 'Don't speak'. We are not children for you to order around."

The Aes Sedai took a breath to answer, but it was Lan that replied instead.

"That is because you _are_ particularly stupid children, _Wisdom_," he said, anger lacing his voice and mangling it to almost a growl.

He spun and pointed at the redhead maid, Lupusregina.

"You see her," he said. The maid seemed to sense their attention – she turned and blew a kiss at him. "She can kill everyone in your village 2 times over without soiling her clothes."

Turning back to the Wisdom, his face got even harder.

"You were heaving your guts on the ground, so you did not see what she did. She _tore off men's limbs and beat them to death with it_. Do you want to piss _that _off?"

Gesturing to the other maid, Yuri, he continued.

"She called us _mere humans_. Whatever she is, she isn't human. I don't expect that Lupusregina is either. The way they spoke, they gave us _absolutely no choice_ about going to see Ainz Ooal Gown. They absolutely revere him."

Moiraine put a hand on his arm, stopping the flow of words from the man.

"Wisdom," she said, facing Nynaeve. "Do you know why the two of them were the ones sent to fetch us to meet Ainz Ooal Gown?"

The Wisdom spluttered, unable to answer.

"I'll tell you," said the Aes Sedai. "They are the combat maids with the best attitude towards humans."

Watching the party and gauging their reaction to her words, she continued.

"In that tomb, there are creatures that hate us. From what Yuri said, there are creatures that _would feed on humans_ if not for Ainz Ooal Gown."

Loial took a moment to process what he just heard.

'_They're monsters. That tomb is a place of monsters,'_ he thought.

"If that tomb is really like that," said Perrin, stumbling over the word 'tomb', "why should we go there? Why would we trust Him?"

"Because if we got here, and can get back to where we came from..."

"Then the dark one can too," finished Rand, fear openly on his face.

The Aes Sedai nodded and continued,

"Can you imagine beings as strong as Lupusregina and Yuri on the side of the dark one? The Dark One would win in weeks."

Loial tried to imagine it. His mind was not large enough to hold the horror.

* * *

_Intermission – Location: Underground._

In a closed cavern, the play of light disguised the warping of a wall as reality seemed to twist and scream. Colours ran, and a damp, musty smell wafted from the wall, spreading outwards from the wall. An ominous droning filled the cavern, warped even further by the acoustics.

From the wall, dozens of small, balloon-like creatures skittered out, gathering, biding their time.

In a short while, they were already over a hundred, filling the cavern. The wall shimmered one last time, and the flow of the disgusting things stopped. A deep chuckle reverberated throughout the cavern as the earth stirred, shifting in response to an earthquake thousands of miles away.

To anyone, the shaking was imperceptible, but that was all the excuse the source of the laughter needed. A little nudge here, a little push there, and something fell over somewhere, the noise deafening in the silence. The bulbous abominations writhed in agitation, spreading out and exploring the cavern – no longer gathered in the dark corner.

They were barely sentient. Separated as they were from their collective, they had no drives except the insatiable _hunger_ that drove them onward in search of the food they had been denied for millennia.


	8. Chapter 8

**TWatGToN C8**

**THE WHEEL AND THE GREAT TOMB OF NAZARICK**

**A FAN FICTION BY BUF_BUODA**

**CHAPTER 8**

* * *

_AN: Double Upload!_

* * *

_Momonga's Quarters, Nazarick..._

The Overlord of the Great tomb of Nazarick partook in a secret ritual. The stability of the Tomb depended on his success.

He rolled around on his bed.

'_Even to me, this feels weird. It still feels good though so...'_

As mundane as that sounds, that was the compromise that the part of him that still thought like a human had reached with the reality that he was an Overlord that needed neither sleep nor rest. It normally calmed him, and made him feel rested – though he would be hard-pressed to describe what exactly he felt.

Today, it was not enough to soothe the turmoil of his thoughts.

'_Even though we supposedly prided ourselves on staying in-character, we were still too naive about it, huh?'_ Ainz thought dejectedly as he considered the plight of the NPCs – his family.

In the end, their NPCs (besides the Floor and Area Guardians) had simply become avenues to play out their fantasies. That didn't bother Ainz as much as the realisation that seeing their fantasies in real life made them seems so shallow and inadequate. The longer he spent in the New World, interacting with the people there, the more it became something he could not ignore. His duel with the Warrior Captain made it more glaring – Gazef had a _depth_ that most of his children did not. What kind of parent wouldn't want something like that for their children?

He had thought briefly about resurrecting Gazef – no matter what the man said. As quickly as he considered it, he dismissed it. Such a move would be pointless. In the end, all he had was his hunch that the NPCs could grow into their own people only when they experienced different things, and had the space to form their own opinions about the world from there.

'_Now that we are becoming an official kingdom, there will be ample opportunity for the personality of the Floor and Area guardians to flesh out – but what about others like the homunculus maids?'_ thought Ainz.

He stopped rolling around, and lay down staring at the ceiling.

His thoughts turned to his own creation, as they always did every time he considered the NPCs now. He had created a doppelganger he had named Pandora's Actor, and placed him as the guardian of the treasury. When making him, he had him simply fit what he thought of as cool at the time. Now, the whole affair only embarrassed him unbearably. Lately though, another feeling had been creeping up with the embarrassment – guilt.

'_It's not like he has a choice about those parts of him,'_ thought Ainz, guilt gnawing at him for the embarrassment he felt about Pandora's Actor. _'How can I be embarrassed about him for something I did by myself? Isn't that wrong?'_ thought the Overlord.

He came to a decision.

'_It seems I've become more comfortable making these off-the-cuff decisions ever since I saw my character sheet. That Luck stat was insane though – how would 100/100 luck even work in this world?'_

He got off the bed and got to his feet, activating [Message] as he did.

_['Pandora's Actor?']_

There was no pause as a breathless, infinitely passionate voice replied almost immediately

_['Mein Va... My Father! I am here!']_

Scolding himself mentally for sighing internally, Ainz continued.

_['I'll be coming to the treasury to see you now, Pandora. I just wanted to give you a heads up.']_

_['Hai!']_, replied the doppelganger before Ainz cut off the message.

He sighed again, mentally preparing himself. When he was ready, he used his ring and teleported to the passage leading into the treasury.

* * *

_The Treasury, Nazarick_

His creator materialised at his assigned post – just in front of the entrance to the treasury. Since he had informed Pandora's actor of his coming, the doppelganger had spent the time till the visit arranging the already impeccably organised treasury.

His love for treasure was legendary, but his curiosity and intellect got bored sitting in the treasury all the time. He might not be a Floor Guardian, but he was (in his mind), fully capable of taking on almost any of them.

'_The Treasury almost counts as a floor, right?'_ thought the doppelganger almost absent-minded. He came to no conclusion about that - though it didn't bother him. Most of his intellect was directed at trying to figure out why his father was coming over.

'_I've got to remember what He said about speaking German,'_ thought Pandora.

There was a flash of darkness as the room dimmed. He glanced at the entrance, and the magnificent form of his father was there.

"Welcome to the treasury, Ainz-sama. Which of Nazarick's treasures will you intend to take today?!" asked the doppelganger.

Though he had tried, he could not keep out the excitement from his voice at the end there.

"Thank you, Pandora. I didn't come for any of Nazarick's treasures. Rather, I want to talk with you." Suiting his words, his father strode to a sofa and sat. Pandora's actor sat opposite him, his long 'fingers' resting on his knees.

His father took a deep breath – one of those gestures he adopted to make the humans more comfortable with him. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts.

"First of all, I am sorry for not visiting you often, even though you are my own creation. I have resolved to try making amends," he began.

Pandora's Actor grew perfectly still. Not still the way humans are still, rather still like a statue.

The truth was, Pandora had always realised that he was exposed to more knowledge than perhaps any other resident of Nazarick. During the times when the other Supreme Beings stopped visiting the Tomb, his father began to spend a lot of time in the treasury. He remembered when they crafted the golems that now bore the Divine Class Items of the other Supreme ones. He was there as one by one, the golems began to be put to use. He bore silent witness to the sorrow his father felt with each golem that saw use – they were signs that the other Supreme beings would not come back.

There was another world they called 'REAL'. From the mutters of his father, he gathered that most of the Supreme Beings – except perhaps the Nine – saw Yggdrasil as a game. Wherever this REAL was, it was somewhere all the Supreme Beings had to go. Even his father disappeared at least once every day – though were only 2 or 3 days Pandora could recall his father not showing up.

Once, he had tried to follow his father, casting the spell the Supreme Ones used to switch worlds. The Mana drain nearly killed him – and he felt like it hadn't even been enough to activate it yet, much less run the spell. He had tried taking on the forms of the other Supreme Beings – the result was the same. Finally desperate, he tried using the form of his father – even at only 80% of his father's stats, his Mana still exceeded the mana limit. He still failed.

He still remembered the day his father appeared in the treasury room, distraught beyond belief. He had paced about stiffly, muttering to himself before finally shouting out loud, his temper flaring "I CAN'T BELIEVE THOSE SHITTY DEVS WANT TO SHUT IT DOWN!"

Pandora was shocked beyond belief. All the Supreme Beings complained about some creature(s) called SHITTY DEVS. He had initially thought that they were like laws of reality that even the Supreme Ones had to follow. He soon realized that they were the enforcers, not the laws themselves. They maintained the thing called GAYM ENGEEN via things divine events that the Supreme Beings called UPDATES and PATCHES. He did not know what these shitty devs wanted to shut down, but it had agitated his father like nothing else had. Then came the most terrible words that he had ever heard - "I can't believe they want to shut down Yggdrasil," said his father in a sad voice.

Pandora was stupefied.

Yet in that moment, he had a glimpse of why the other Supreme Beings must have gone – they must have moved on from this world that was ending anyway.

Yet his father did not. Instead, He began to spend more time in Nazarick. He barely ever went for quests anymore, just sitting in the treasury, or in the throne room, brooding.

It was in those moments that Pandora first saw what must be the limits of the power of the Supreme Beings. They could not take on the Shitty Devs – powers who could decide to end the world.

When the shift had happened, Pandora felt it. Perhaps the others did not because they had nothing to look for. It felt like a memory of a memory – like when he had tried to use the [Log Out] spell that failed.

Since then, his feelings for his father had changed. That was when he first started thinking about him as his father primarily, instead of as only his creator. Because he had seen the limits of the power of the Supreme Beings, he knew Demiurge was wrong about this one thing – His father was not all knowing. As often as his father tried to tell the other guardians, they just paid him no mind. It was ironic in a way, given their devotion to every other thing he said.

All these flashed through his mind as soon as his father began to apologise. He opened his mouth to object, but his father forestalled him, lifting a hand up for silence.

"Since Shalltear's run in with those who controlled her, I have been thinking about a lot of things. I came face to face with the fact that we can be destroyed – if our enemy is motivated enough," continued Ainz.

"I had forgotten one of the most basic things – my limits. I made you when I was much younger than I am now – maybe that is why your current mannerisms make me feel so weird. Anyway, I made you the way you are, and I must love my cr... er, son the way I made him."

Complex feelings burst alight in the chest of the doppelganger as he considered the kindness of his father. But before he could accept them, he had to know something.

"Father," he began. "Why did you stay?" he asked in a small voice.

* * *

The question startled Ainz. Then it scared him.

Once he started with his apology, Pandora had gone very still, and Ainz could read no emotion from the doppelganger at all. Yet he ploughed on, ignoring the slight unease he felt. He could never have anticipated the question his creation asked. He knew that all of Nazarick was overjoyed that he stayed. He also knew the corollary to that – which was that they were all terrified of doing something that would make him leave. He considered obfuscating, but decided against it.

Striking a thoughtful pose, he considered how to answer Pandora in a manner that the doppelganger could understand.

"Umu," he began, buying a few frantic moments as he gathered his thoughts.

"Well, the Shitty Devs had announced the end of Yggdrasil. In truth, I stayed because I wanted to spend as much time in Nazarick as I could before it ended. I had no idea how to save Nazarick; and until we were transported here, I had no idea 'here' even existed," said Ainz truthfully.

The doppelganger considered the answer for a couple of moments, before asking another question.

"So father, what is the major difference between this world, Yggdrasil, and the world the Supreme beings called 'Real'?"

'_Eh... What's with all these questions?'_ thought Ainz. _'I guess I did want to have a discussion like this with the Floor guardians eventually. Who would have thought that it would be Pandora who would bring it up?'_

"I think that the major difference to me is the level of interaction," replied Ainz. He noticed the confusion in the body language of his creation, and continued by way of explanation.

"In the world called REAL, we could not interact with you at all. We also had absolutely no access to our power and stats and items from Nazarick. Everyone was forced into the avatar of what you would now call 'Human'. Yet we could interact fully with the world – it had to be as a human though," Ainz said thoughtfully as he tried to articulate his answer. He forced down the brief stab of guilt at his obfuscation of his origins.

"In Yggdrasil, We could interact with you, but our interactions were heavily limited. We could definitely not converse as we are now. To us, in Yggdrasil, Nazarick was our home, but it was not as tangible as the world you know as REAL. Our interactions with the world were also heavily limited," Ainz continued, glancing at Pandora. The doppelganger was listening with rapt attention.

"For this world, it combines both. We can interact fully with the world and its inhabitants, and we have access to our power."

Another difference suddenly came to Ainz in the brief pause after his last statement.

"Another major difference was in the nature of the enforcers of reality. In Yggdrasil, we called them Shitty Devs. They were present and visible. In the world you call REAL, the enforcers were not like that. It had even gotten to a point where people argued that there could BE no enforcers. I for one never really cared about the question. The enforcers, if they existed, had an extreme 'hands off' policy as far as I was concerned, and it suited me just fine. I think that the enforcers here might be the same too – hands off."

There was silence for a bit as creator and creation sat opposite each other, lost in thought.

"Why did you ask though?" asked Ainz as he glanced at Pandora.

"Just curious," said the doppelganger. "Besides," he continued, "this is the first time we're having a discussion like this."

* * *

"Why did you ask though?" asked his father, curiosity evident in his voice.

"Just curious," replied Pandora truthfully. The time spent in the treasury afforded him time to think about a lot of esoteric things.

"Besides," he continued, "this is the first time we're having a discussion like this."

"That's good," replied his father. He could hear the smile in his voice.

Pandora cocked his head, curious about the pleasure he could detect from his father.

"Curiosity is good," said his father by way of explanation. "It is something I didn't particularly write into you – after all, it would be cruel to write that and then station you here in the treasury. But it means that you are developing on your own. I am very happy about that."

The comfortable silence settled again as Pandora considered his father.

It suddenly dawned on him that as the only one of his type – as a Supreme Being – his father must be very lonely.

'_I understand the animosity Albedo feels towards them now,'_ he thought, remembering those times before the end of Yggdrasil again.

Albedo loved his father so much it was very nearly a form of madness. Her lust could be a palpable force sometimes. She had gotten much more settled since father announced he would be reciprocating her feelings, but Pandora was just happy that his father could have someone at least. He briefly wondered about how Shalltear would be taking the development, but the train of thought was cut off when his father cleared his throat again – another of those completely unnecessary but thoughtful gestures his father had.

'_He must have picked it up as a human,' _thought Pandora. Something niggled at the back of his mind about that word 'human,' but her forgot as his father began to speak.

"Pandora, I would like to redeploy you from the treasury primarily," said his father.

Shock and fear reverberated in Pandora's chest – although an almost unbearable curiosity warred with them as well.

His father had continued speaking.

"You are one of the most intelligent in Nazarick. I want you to join Albedo and Demiurge in the planning of Nazarick's projects and affairs. I also want you in charge of discovering treasure – though of a different sort."

The curiosity drowned out the shock and fear as his father stood.

"Come with me, I've asked Albedo and Demiurge to meet with me already in my office, and it should be about time now," said his father.

Pandora stood immediately and followed his father out of the treasury.

* * *

_9__th__ Floor, the Great Tomb of Nazarick_

"So, I'd like to hear your thoughts about the whole thing," said her beloved.

He sat at his desk, chin in hand as he listened for their responses.

She glanced at Demiurge and Pandora's Actor, the only other ones in the room – her beloved had sent the assigned maid out of the office for this.

The two nodded at her almost imperceptibly, giving her the chance to speak first.

"My love," she began, enjoying the opportunity to try out the nickname for the first time. Now that Momonga had actually acknowledged her love, she had become shy about the whole thing, much to her embarrassment. It had taken her lots of cuddling with her Momonga body pillow before she could work up the courage to – she still could not work up the courage to move to her love's quarters yet.

'_Who would have thought that lust and love could separate like this? I still want him, but it feels different now,'_ thought Albedo.

"We know nothing about Citrinitas," she continued. "Without any knowledge of her, wouldn't it be dangerous to hand over Nazarick's finance to her?"

Demiurge nodded his agreement with the sentiment, his tail lashing behind him nervously. Pandora's Actor said nothing, contenting himself with watching the exchange.

Her love nodded.

"Your unease is reasonable, Albedo. However, Citrinitas was made as a merchant type. She was the one that managed the items and resources of Dupeel-san, and he was the wealthiest of all of us simply by trading items, information, and the like. Not to mention, he actually built her as a manager type – she can manage a guild, if need arises."

Albedo considered her love's response.

"Then, why had she never been deployed?" asked Albedo.

"Dupeel-san made her to be an assistant type for me initially," replied her love. "But she has no fighting ability at all, compared with the rest of you – even though she's also a level 100 NPC. In terms of raw combat ability, she's around the level of the Pleiades – but the rest of her levels are invested in intellect, merchant and administrative job classes and stats. She CAN fulfil the job – but that is not the most important reason."

Her love glanced at all of them.

"There are other roles and duties I want you and Pandora to focus on. You are now my partner, and soon to be wife, if you wish it. The role is different from just being the Guardian Administrator, especially now we are a kingdom of our own. Pandora is to be in charge of discovering treasure – human treasures as well – and developing them for the good of Nazarick. This means he will have to concentrate more on his Momon persona."

Albedo flushed, and her breathing quickened.

'_Huh... Seems I am not embarrassed at all. Momonga-sama, TAKE ME NOW!'_

She managed to keep herself in check though. Demiurge glanced at her and shook his head slightly in exasperation. She didn't care; she would be too excited to think for a few moments, so the arch devil might as well have his say.

"Ainz-sama, forgive me but this will take some getting used to," Demiurge said.

"What will?" asked her love. His voice sent bicorns galloping through her stomach. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep it together.

"Talking back to you, and treating you like one of us in these 'planning sessions'," replied the arch devil.

Her love's threw his head back and laughed, and she came dangerously close to one of those episodes that Shalltear would have called 'an underwear crisis,' but barely managed to hold it off. She would NOT lose her cool now that she was representing her love in the most intimate way possible. A part of her prodigious mind actually congratulated herself for such a realisation.

"Demiurge," he said, mirth still evident in his voice, "I trust all of you. It is nothing to me for us to throw words back and forth about ideas we may or may not have to better Nazarick. It is for the best this way."

The arch devil frowned slightly as he considered the response.

"As you say, Ainz-sama," he said reluctantly.

Albedo finally had herself under control, more or less. She asked another question that was on her mind.

"My love, what about those strangers you mentioned?"

"Ah yes," replied her love. "I sent Yuri to get them and take them to little Nazarick to await our pleasure. I will send Sebas to feel them out first, before we make our appearance. You three will be in charge of the project to handle them, headed by Pandora."

Albedo liked the plan, so she nodded.

Having gotten the first two things in his agenda off the list, Ainz smiled to himself as he got to the last one – his favourite, it so happened.

He cleared his throat.

"Now, have any of you ever seen your stats?" He asked the three before him.

They looked around at each other, before shaking their heads in the negative.

'_I hope this works...' _he thought.

* * *

_...Flashback,_

_He had been trying to call up his character sheet again after the first time. Frustration welled up in his mind as gesture after gesture failed._

_'Don't tell me that after being able to before, now I can't? Could it be I can only access it once I gain EXP?' thought Ainz in frustration._

_His limiter activated and washed the rising frustration away, and Ainz wracked his mind for a work around._

_'The Master Console! The names of all the members of Nazarick are listed there. Something might have changed about it! Albedo opened it the last time; how do I do it though,' thought Ainz._

_As soon as the thought flashed in his mind, the knowledge was suddenly there._

_'Eh? I know how to open the master console. How do I know it? Hold on, Ainz, Let's try it first.'_

_"**[Guild: Access Master Console]**!"_

_The strange spell worked. His guild ring flashed, and a screen projected before him. His hunch was correct – the master console had changed._

_Excitement flared, and was suppressed by his limiter._

_The very first, obvious change was that it had a completely new arrangement._

_The screen was organised into tabs: FLOORS, MEMBERS, DEFENCE, FINANCE, and GUILD OPTIONS. Under FLOORS, all the floors were present as tabs, and their areas as tabs under the respective floor. The structure, FOF mapping, traps, and teleportation access of all the floors were there under their respective floor tab, though only the traps and teleportation access could be toggled on or off – the rest was simply information. He noticed the icon of an eye at the top corner of the console with a number inside it, and tapped it. It opened up a list of those currently viewing the console – 1, just him._

_Closing the list, he went back to examining the rest of the console._

_The MEMBERS tab had all the members of Nazarick listed, and grouped according to their positions. But more importantly, he could access his character sheet from there. He opened it up, and noticed the now familiar outline. However, there was something he hadn't noticed before. There was one option in the top corner: ALLOW DIRECT ACCESS TO CHARACTER SHEET._

_Ainz stared at those words for a full 3 seconds in rising shock before his limiter kicked in._

_He ticked the box._

_End flashback..._

* * *

Preparing himself, he cast **[Silent - Guild: Access Master Console]**. He had discovered that the qualifier allowed him to think his spells (at least the Guild ones, and the ones below the 9th tier) without needing to say them out, simply focusing on shaping the mana. The console came up, and he navigated to the MEMBERS Tab, opening Albedo's character screen, then ticking ALLOW DIRECT ACCESS TO CHARACTER SHEET, watching the succubus carefully.

Her eyes widened as the same thing that happened to him happened to her.

'_I see. Once I tick those boxes, the knowledge of how to access their character screens enters their mind – just the same as what happened to me,'_ thought Ainz as the succubus flung out her hand and said quietly

"**[Guild: Access Character Console]**"

She gasped as her console came up, though it would only be visible to her until she shared it.

* * *

Demiurge watched Albedo carefully, trying to understand what the spell she cast was.

'_Guild spells?'_ he thought to himself, his mind racing. There were no spells like that in Yggdrasil to the best of his knowledge.

Albedo gasped, moving her hands before her as though she was touching something.

"Albedo," he called, drawing her eyes.

"Look at the top right corner and tap that pair of eyes," said Ainz-sama, addressing Albedo.

Her hands moved as though she was doing so, and to Demiurge's shock, a screen materialized in front of her.

Moving to her side swiftly just ahead of Pandora's Actor, he glanced at the screen. It was her character sheet.

The arch devil looked at his master, struggling to keep down the feeling of awe that was threatening to overwhelm him. His master had done something none of them had ever known was even possible.

'_No matter what he says, he is still a Supreme Being. He shows it in all these little ways – the gulf between us and Him. Truly, I have the best master. I will always be thankful that he stayed with us!'_ thought Demiurge in a feeling of intense devotion and awe.

* * *

Ainz saw the awe in the eyes of Demiurge and Pandora as they looked at Albedo's character sheet, then at him. Albedo was mute, staring at him till it looked like her eyes were going to fall out. Sighing internally, he opened the character sheets of Demiurge and Pandora, and then enabled their access as well. He watched the same thing happen to the 2 guardians. He gave them a few minutes to look at their screens before clearing his throat to call their attention to himself.

They glanced up at him, excitement shining in their eyes.

"This way, you can actually see yourself developing. You have not seen this before so you cannot notice the differences, so let me tell you the biggest ones," said Ainz to the raptly attentive guardians. Their attention was an almost tangible entity pressing down on him.

He adopted the pose WISE KING 3 as he began to explain the biggest differences to them.

"The first you should notice is your level. It should be 100/100. Now, it is simply 100/(I). This means that the extent of your development depends solely on you. I am unsure what (I) stands for – I am going to refer to them as tiers – but there at least 2 of them. I am on the second,"

He called up his character screen and made it visible, beckoning the guardians over.

* * *

Pandora was floored completely. First, father had done something that allowed them do something only the Supreme Beings had been able to do – access their own character screens. They could appraise opponents as guardians, but could never really know the full breakdown of their power in stat form like this. In one moment, his father had changed that.

Now, looking at his father's screen, he saw for the first time the real gulf in power between their father and the rest of them.

"What I have noticed," began his father, "is that as you do things that relate to your status stats, they increase of their own accord irrespective of your race and job classes. In addition to this increase, this bar under the level here fills up. I do not yet know what will happen when a level increase occurs, but seeing as I am close to one, perhaps we will find out sooner rather than later."

Pandora looked at said bar on his father's screen. It was nearly full, as he said.

But a new status stat caught his attention.

"Ainz-sama," he said in an awed voice, "What does that 'Divinity' stat mean?"

As he asked, Demiurge's eyes lit up. His tail trashed about wildly, and the arch devil looked like he wanted to fly apart – such was his excitement.

"Honestly, I don't know," replied his father.

Demiurge could barely control himself. He had nearly thought his eyes were deceiving him until Pandora asked the most obvious thing to ask after seeing Ainz-sama's stats – the Divinity status stat.

Hearing Ainz-sama answer that he did not know, he could not contain himself anymore.

Falling to his knees, he addressed his master – no his god!

"Ainz-sama, I am sorry to interject, but I believe it simply confirms what we have always known – no matter how much you might deny. It confirms that you are a god!"

* * *

_Intermission_

"You seem really busy, eh?"

The question seemed to come from everywhere at once, but the hearer knew exactly who was speaking.

He just sighed.

The speaker laughed – a full, rich sound that did not escape the space where the discussion was taking place.

"You are like a child in the playground. It is so much fun watching you enter the field after so long just watching," the speaker said, mirth still colouring the voice.

"I feel the same way to be very honest," replied the hearer. His voice was more subdued than that of the speaker. It didn't seem to matter to either of them as there was silence for a while.

"You've seen what Lu..." began the speaker.

The hearer cut him off.

"I have," he replied simply.

"Will you intervene?" asked the speaker after a long pause.

"No I will not. They are sufficient to deal with whatever that grouch wants to do," replied the hearer.

"Besides," he continued "he's playing my game now – and I make the rules."

There was a sense of agreement and pride from the speaker as he listened to the hearer.

"You will do well," he said as he retreated back to the background.

**AN: So, that's it for now. Please read and review, your reviews keep me encouraged, and help me work through the exhaustion of work to try and write. Hopefully, I will have another upload ready for next month soon.**

**PS: Pray for, and encourage medical personnel that you know.**

The place fell silent.


	9. Chapter 9

**THE WHEEL AND THE GREAT TOMB OF NAZARICK**

**A FAN FICTION BY BUF_BUODA**

**CHAPTER 9**

* * *

_AN: It's a pleasure to bring the next chapter to you - thank you for your patience with this fic. For those who left comments, your comments are well appreciated, and I take your thoughts into consideration as I write - I hope you like the new chapter._

_My writing has slowed down due to three major factors: first, RL is quite busy for me at this time. Second, I'm rereading WOT again. I seem to have lost the pulse of the first few books, and inasmuch as this will eventually become completely AU, I still need to keep an eye on the original as I finish up this arc. Thirdly, I'm currently fascinated with reading Naruto and Halo fandom fics._

_Once again, thank you for reading, and i hope to update again by the end of the month, or the beginning of next month._

_Now, here's two questions: 1. How do you guys think the Aiel and the Sharans would fit in here? 2. How do you think Forsaken like Ishmael (who joined the dark one for philosophical reasons), or Asmodean would react to Nazarick? I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comment!_

* * *

_The other side of the gate..._

It had taken everything in Moiraine to step through the portal of swirling darkness with her head held high and her Aes Sedai mask of calmness firmly in place. The words of the maid Yuri Alpha still echoed in her mind – and in the minds of her charges, if their expressions were to be believed.

_"You will be silent until spoken to, and show the utmost respect to everyone you meet once we step through the gate," the maid had said in a calm, precise voice when the first hint of darkness started to swirl and expand. Turning to face Moiraine and the others, a sense of pressure began to waft from her as she continued._

_"Ainz-sama has graciously allowed you to plead your case. Do not overstep your boundaries."_

_Lupusregina had nodded emphatically while adjusting the bound captive under her arms and added "Yep! Exactly the way Yuri nee-sama said. You are all insects. Interesting insects for sure, but still insects. Know your..."_

_"That is enough Lupu," interrupted Yuri. Yet, Moiraine noticed that she made no move to correct the statement._

A light breeze ruffled the grass and her skirts as she stood with Lan by her side, and the Emond Fielders behind them. To her right, a little girl in a soft, black evening gown and a big, heavy skirt stood watching them. Her silver hair was in a ponytail and kept away from her impossibly pale face with a large ribbon tied in a bow. Crimson eyes watched them, and Moiraine made an effort not to shy away from them. She felt Lan stiffen at her side, and reached out to place her hand on his arm, all the while keeping her eyes away from the eyes of the little girl, yet in the general vicinity of her face.

The maids that accompanied them came through the portal (they called it a gate) last, dropped the captive at the feet of the little girl, and bowed at the waist to the little girl. All hint of playfulness was gone from Lupusregina.

"Shalltear-sama," began Yuri in her precise voice.

"These are the people Ainz-sama requested we deliver to you."

The little girl nodded, and the portal snapped shut.

"You've done well," began a sweet voice. It took Moiraine a few heartbeats to realize that it came from the little girl. Now she looked closer, she noticed that the girl seemed unusually buxom for someone her age. The girl gestured, and another portal opened beside her. A pale woman dressed in a sheer gown of flimsy white stepped through, bowed to the little girl, and took the captive back through the gate without saying a word. It whirled shut immediately after she went through.

Turning to Moiraine, the girl gestured for them to follow her.

_'She seems normal, if one could ignore that she seemingly made these gates without effort,'_ thought Moiraine, as the fist of unease that had been in her stomach permanently for the last few hours grew bigger.

_'She cannot be normal,'_ She corrected mentally. _'Those maids deferred to her, and addressed her the way they've been addressing this Ainz Ooal Gown. She must be someone important, even though she's still a child.'_

Moiraine nodded to herself, fairly certain that she had a fair handle on the situation. Then she remembered the attitude of the maids towards humans, and her stomach fell again.

_'The girl cannot be human, regardless of what she looks like,'_ she thought, doing her best to still the pulsing threads of fear that continued streaking through that fist in her stomach. _'It would be lethal folly to think of her as a child,'_

They were on a hill, it seemed. The ground sloped downwards gently, and the cool breeze was very pleasant. Just ahead of them was a place that looked like a pavilion with a large round table, and seats all around it. Maids stood by every seat – these ones dressed more conventionally as maids.

As they drew closer, Moiraine could not tell what the table was made from. It was beautifully crafted and looked incredibly light. It was also a dazzling white, with carvings and etchings all around it in intricate patterns. An elderly man stood on one side of the round-table. His hair and beard were pure white, and smile wrinkles were evident at the corners of his sharp eyes, and on the rest of his face. He wore a black, unadorned coat edged in gold – the type a noble would wear – and he filled it exquisitely. A quick flash of lust ran through Moiraine, all the more shocking especially for someone like her. Taking a deep breath, she schooled the small butterflies in her stomach to silence and continued to observe him as they approached. A white narrow cloth was knotted around the collar of his black shirt. His arms were behind him, and he brought one forward to his barrelled chest as he bowed slightly in greeting towards the little girl leading the party.

"Shalltear," he said by way of greeting.

"Sebas," replied Shalltear as she inclined her head slightly towards him in a gesture of respect. A gesture from Yuri stopped them from following her as Sebas looked them over.

Another stab of lust ran through Moiraine as his eyes brushed hers briefly. She back at the Emond Fielders as an excuse to look away from those eyes. Spots of colour rode the cheeks of the two young women behind her. The moment passed, and with her stomach well in hand, Moiraine looked back at the man. Shalltear stood by his side, looking at them with an expression of unspeakable boredom.

"I am Sebas Tian, Head Butler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick," began the man, addressing the newcomers in an air of formality. He gestured to the girl by his side.

"I am Shalltear Bloodfallen, Guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick," she replied in a musical voice.

"Who do we have the pleasure to be addressing?" asked the man as he looked directly at Moiraine.

Her stomach still lurched, but she curtsied, tapping Lan's hand to bow in response to the formal tone set by the butler.

"I am Moiraine, Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah, and this is Lan Mandragoran, my Warder," she said, her voice steady and strong.

Taking their cue from her, the Emond Fielders bowed and curtsied as well as they introduced themselves, though their introductions were more disjointed. Loial's introduction was unusually short – as though he was too nervous to be his usual long winded self. In a flash of understanding, Moiraine realized that the combination of the extraordinarily beautiful women looking at them must be having an effect similar to her reaction to the butler on the boys.

Sebas nodded as they introduced themselves, and smiled when they were done. It was not a big thing – just a little smile – yet his entire face transformed, and Moiraine could literally feel herself get lightheaded before she got control again. This was going to be extremely difficult.

* * *

Lan was sitting deep in the void. It was the only way to stave off the fear that threatened to overwhelm him as he looked at the little girl that had named herself as 'Shalltear'. Initially, he had been shocked, then disgusted in himself.

_'She's a child,'_ he argued in his head. His guts didn't seem to care.

The fear was still there.

After the girl introduced herself, his intellect finally had a reason for the fear his instincts had been pouring into his brain.

_'She's a guardian – whatever that means,'_ he thought. His instincts screamed that it was something very bad. His instincts were not in the habit of jerking him around.

A trick of the light caused him to see a sharp incisor peek out from the thin line of the guardian's lips as her cold eyes kept them all in view.

_'This is ridiculous,'_ he thought with sudden clarity.

_'Every one of these maids could probably kill us all many times over. What else is there to be afraid of? Death is lighter than a feather after all,'_ he lectured his fear as began to ease up, no longer threatening to batter down the walls of the void. He released the void – still afraid, but now calm despite the fear.

The man Sebas smiled, putting them all – even Lan – at ease. That alone would make the so-called butler bear watching.

"Come sit," he said, gesturing to the other side of the table. Shalltear suited his words and wordlessly plopped herself down in the chair just beside Sebas as Lan strode beside Moiraine to sit opposite the pair, with the Emond Fielders seating themselves on either side of him and Moiraine. Surprisingly, the chair fit Loial as well – as though it changed to fit the shape of his rump.

The two battle maids Lupusregina and Yuri stood behind Sebas and Shalltear, and the new maids stationed themselves just behind their own seats.

"As I said before, I am Sebas, and I am the Head Butler of Nazarick," began the white haired man. "Ainz-sama has permitted me to speak on his behalf – in a limited capacity, but sufficient for our discussion. First of all, we would like to know who exactly you are." He gestured behind them as he spoke, and the maids stepped forward with refreshments. Tall drinking glasses that looked like they were cut from exquisite crystal were brought forward, filled with a strange, orange drink. In the little platters that accompanied the drinks, there were pastries – though not of any sort Lan had ever seen before. He put them out of his mind for now – the conversation head of them would require all his attention.

Lan kept his eyes on the butler, but still saw Moiraine nod slightly before she started to reply. She kept the story short, focusing on the Dark One's imminent escape, and their quest from the Two Rivers. She ended with the queer incident that brought them to this place. Lan watched the face of the little girl, albeit from the corner of his eyes. The face of the butler showed no emotion besides slight interest as he sipped his drink. The little girl on the other hand was more expressive; her face cycled from boredom when Moiraine started, to slight interest, to wariness when Moiraine started talking about their discovery of their condition. Her drink was deep red, and she sucked it through a straw.

"Then, we arrived at Carne. The rest of what happened can be verified from Lupusregina," concluded Moiraine.

No one had touched their refreshments – to Lan's satisfaction. They were waiting for his lead.

"Interesting," began Sebas as Moiraine brought her story to a close. "Lupusregina mentioned something that Moiraine here did – or started to do before she discouraged her. Can you tell us what that is?"

Moiraine sighed as she replied, "I can channel the One Power. That is part of what it means to be Aes Sedai."

"Oh?" began the Shalltear for the first time, lifting beautiful lips from her straw. "Are you saying that those two are also this Ai Sadai thing you mentioned?" She gestured at the two women from Emond Field as she asked, keeping her gaze on Moiraine.

Egwene and Nynaeve stiffened visibly, shock painted on their faces. The boys did not fare any better – Mat's mouth actually hung open in shock. Moiraine managed to keep the shock away from her features, but Lan could feel it reverberate through the bond. If not for a lifetime of practice, he might have shown his shock as well.

'How did she know that those two can channel?' thought Lan tiredly. As much as he convinced himself that he would not be surprised by anything these people from Nazarick brought forward, he kept failing. It was the little things that drove home the point of how utterly outclassed they were.

"They are not yet Aes Sedai," began Moiraine, subtly correcting the mispronunciation of the girl, none of the shock he felt from her evident in her voice. "They were to follow me to be trained, if they wish it – though there was some danger for the younger one if she was not trained that the older one had already passed."

The little girl nodded, and glanced at the boys as though she wanted to speak. She seemed to change her mind though and settle down as though bored about the whole matter.

Lan brought his glass to his lips to drink. Intense pleasure flooded his tongue as the liquid rolled in his mouth and into his throat. It was quite simply, the best thing he had ever tasted – and he did not even know what it was! He saw Moiraine glance at him – no doubt shocked by the intense pleasure she felt from him through the bond. The shock was ever new, and it was caused by the little things.

"And the things you did during the battle of Carne?" asked the Butler with nothing but mild curiosity in his voice. His manner was impeccable.

"Those were with the One Power," replied Moiraine as she lifted her glass to her lips. Lan felt the shock and pleasure intertwine in her through the bond as her hand actually trembled from the effort not to guzzle the entire drink. The others had no such qualms as they fairly inhaled the drink and the sides that accompanied them. The fact that the maids kept refilling both glass and plate only made it more embarrassing as they could not keep track of how much they guzzled.

"Does that include Lan's martial prowess?" inquired Sebas.

"No," replied Moiraine, the pleasure from the drink colouring her voice as she spoke. "Lan's swordsmanship is pure skill."

Sebas looked... impressed. Shalltear looked at him with renewed interest, and a fang peeked out of the corner of her mouth as she smiled at him in the way that reminded him of a deadly predator that was watching a new, and now mildly interesting addition to its territory.

Silence fell on the gathering as Sebas put two fingers to his temple as though he was deep in thought. The only sounds were from the Emond fielders stuffing their faces with food.

* * *

_Nazarick..._

Pandora's Actor was watching the meeting hosted by Sebas alongside Albedo and Demiurge on the Mirror of Remote Viewing father had graciously provided them. He felt the mild pressure of an incoming message, and answered by raising two of his fingers to his temple.

_['Pandora?']_, Sebas' voice sounded in his head.

The incoming message notification was silent, and that alerted him that this was the silent variation of [Message]. Even though it was just introduced by father, everyone that had been taught the spell took to it eagerly – not least because it was created by the Supreme One himself.

_['Sebas,']_, he replied.

_['You followed our discussion, I presume?']_, asked the Iron Butler.

_['Indeed I did! These treasures are definitely interesting. You know what to do. This is the first project that Ainz-sama is leaving completely to us since his revelation of his dream for us. Let us carry it out in a manner that would impress even Him!']_, replied Pandora's Actor, taking the extra effort not to shout excitedly at the end there. It was a lot harder to stop yourself from shouting mentally than it was to stop from shouting out loud.

Sebas simply ended the message, presumably to go ahead with their plan.

Pandora had chosen Sebas and Shalltear as the face of Nazarick for these discussions because Sebas was the only one of them that was not negatively aligned. He was also a hit with the ladies – if the report from his mission with Solution was anything to go by. He had the most experience out of all of them in blending in with humans. Shalltear had been chosen to accompany him as a way to redeem herself from the sting of her failure – even though father insisted that He was to blame. She also looked like a child, and could be underestimated long enough to kill everything there ten times over without strain.

Albedo had taken the choice well, although Pandora suspected that she was still running off the fumes of her success with Father. He had the time to briefly wonder how much of Albedo's former earnestness was simply sexual tension that had no outlet she would permit herself.

With the message ended, and the meeting looking like it was concluding as well, Pandora turned to the others at the mirror with him.

"Demiurge," he began. "The captive was taken to Neuronist, and she's currently cooling her heels there. I think you should lead the information extraction team for this project – you are the best, after all."

The arch Devil simply nodded as though it was the most natural thing in the world. He was impatient to be on his way, but still waited to hear the rest of Pandora's conclusions.

"Albedo," continued the doppelganger, "According to what Ainz-sama said previously, you will focus on Nazarick, and integrating E-Rantel into our newly formed Kingdom. You will also be the closest to Ainz-sama, and we will therefore give you periodic reports to pass on to Ainz-sama on this project."

The succubus frowned as she replied.

"Eh? Are you sure about that? You were put in charge of the project by my Love himself. Wouldn't you prefer to report directly?"

"I definitely would," replied Pandora. "However, you are to be Ainz-sama's queen and love. That must be a position higher than that of guardian overseer. I'd even hazard that you are almost like a Supreme Being in status now – if not in power."

"I am not like the Supreme Beings," replied Albedo hotly.

"Maybe not," interjected Demiurge. "But as one who is not only the mate or lover of Ainz-sama, but his Queen, how else could we see you? Ainz-sama chose you himself. He even went as far as changing who you are in preparation for this role."

Albedo was silent as she considered it, but Pandora had already moved on from the discussion mentally. He and Demiurge were right, and Albedo would see it eventually. She was really quite logical, despite her random outbursts of uncontrolled lust.

"Sebas will be the primary person interacting with the strangers in Little Nazarick, along with Aura and Mare sometime," continued Pandora, adopting Ainz's moniker for the fortress built by the elf twins. "He will eventually have to test that swordsman called Lan. In the meantime, I will use Punitto Moe-sama's special skill [Dispel Fog of War] – with Ainz-sama's permission of course. I can only think that He has not used it all this while to keep things interesting for us. This way, we can have a perfect map of the world – not just this continent. That is the only way we can verify the story this Moiraine told."

"[Dispel Fog of War]?" asked Demiurge with keen interest. "What skill is that?"

"You know I can transform into any of the Supreme Ones, and use their powers at 80% efficiency, right?" asked Pandora in response. Not waiting for an answer, he continued.

"The skill is one that projects the entire world map as it is at the time of use. If it is used during combat, it also shows friend or foe designations of the cities on the map. We can save the projection, and use it when needed."

Demiurge looked stunned. Albedo looked thoughtful.

"And the downsides?" asked Albedo.

'See? Quite logical,' thought Pandora to himself as he replied her, calling up the spell details on his HUD and slaving the sight to the two guardians. Father was _quite_ ingenious when it came to manipulating Yggdrasil systems.

"There are three main downsides, minus the mana cost, of course - although only one is really serious" replied Pandora.

"First of all, there is a fixed experience cost to using the skill that maybe could be offset by using Avarice and Generosity. Secondly, the caster would be unable to gather any experience for as long as the details gotten from the use of the skill remain accurate, and will experience a 50% penalty in gathering experience for twelve weeks after he is able to again."

There was a flash of distaste on the faces of the arch devil and the succubus as he mentioned that second drawback. The doppelganger ignored it as he continued.

"Thirdly, the skill costs half of the gold in the inventory of the user when it is activated, and a 50% penalty on gold for the duration of the experience embargo. This last one should be easy to get around for me – after all, all I need to do is transfer all the gold in my inventory to someone else."

The room was silent as Pandora took in their various expressions. He shrugged at them helplessly - it wasn't like the opportunity to use said skill came along often. Plus, even though he would never admit it, he loved the rare times when he could become the avatars of the Supreme beings. It was one of the best feelings for him – regardless of the risk.

"You're correct," began Demiurge, "Even if you could meet the mana cost - and I think it will be very close - Ainz-sama would never let us use this skill without good reason. Even now, I seriously doubt that we can succeed at convincing him – especially now he has shown us his mind as thoroughly as he has. The lack of mana would leave you completely defenseless for at least a day; unless Ainz-sama shares his items."

Pandora nodded, but just as he wanted to reply, Albedo spoke up.

"I will convince Ainz-sama," she said calmly.

Pandora looked at her and began to protest, but she stared him down, something hard in her eyes. There was no choice. No one could resist the succubus when she was this determined.

* * *

_Sebas, Little Nazarick..._

Sebas remained thoughtful as the maids led the newcomers to their quarters in Little Nazarick. The fortress was named by Ainz-sama himself – a testament to how much he valued their work. By his side, Shalltear stood passively. She had changed since that fateful meeting where Ainz-sama bared his heart out to them, and chose Albedo over her (even though the vampire was not calling it that). He thought back to that strange incident – for the first time that Sebas could remember, Shalltear voluntarily went to the library.

_Sebas strolled into the library as part of his routine, random inspection of Nazarick in his capacity as the Butler of the Supreme Ones. The library was empty save for the attendants clearing up, and one person in the general reading area. The butler's legendary composure shattered as he saw who it was – Shalltear, alone. He stood there for a few seconds with his mouth hanging wide open until Shalltear turned to him, probably sensing his attention on her._

_"What?!" she asked furiously, a deep blush filling the pale, flawless skin of her face._

_Sebas gathered himself and walked to sit beside the now thoroughly embarrassed vampire._

_"Shalltear-sama," he began._

_"Just Shalltear," interrupted the now dejected vampire. "After all, I have failed Ainz-sama in every way I thought was my strength."_

_The butler tried to interrupt, but the vampire had the bit between her teeth now._

_"I once thought I was as loyal as they come. Yet, I allowed myself to be controlled, and even fought against Ainz-sama. After a while, I picked myself up from that. After all, as someone who wanted to be Ainz-sama's mate, no one could love him more than me, right? But even at that, I failed again. Ainz-sama chose Albedo as his mate. Where does that leave me now?"_

_Sebas was silent. He did not doubt that there was no good answer to that question. Shalltear answered herself though,_

_"It leaves me vying for the position of his mistress. Well, sex and kink are my specialties, regardless of what the succubus thinks. But then again, I thought the same about loyalty and love, yet lost. So, I need to improve myself."_

_"Shalltear-sama," interrupted Sebas, "what does the library have to do with improving your specialties of 'sex and kink'?" asked the slightly baffled butler._

_The vampire blushed as she replied,_

_"Peroronchino-sama's section," was all she replied._

They had discussed for longer, and had surprisingly struck up a better relationship. After all, they had the common denominator of knowing what it felt like to fail their Lord to the point where he had to intervene in the matter personally. It had the effect of making it easier for them to work together, as Sebas noticed during this particular mission.

_'This must be what Ainz-sama means when he says that he wants us to grow,'_ thought the butler to himself as the newcomers were led to their quarters.

Ainz-sama had given them complete control over this mission – baring some conditions, of course. They suited him just fine. Even though he would never hesitate to end any and all threats to Nazarick and Ainz-sama with extreme prejudice, the butler did not revel in mindless slaughter of mere humans. What had started out as a fondness for them because of their weakness and helplessness had grown into something else – especially because of Tuare.

He shook his head to put the blonde out of his mind for the moment – she was in Nazarick, and perfectly safe.

"Which of us will take the first posting here?" asked Shalltear, breaking him out from his musings.

The butler shrugged as he replied, "shall we settle it with the game of the Supreme ones?"

Shalltear nodded.

Moments later, a gate leading back to Nazarick opened beside the vampire. She stepped through with a tinkling laugh, and a promise to return early to relieve the butler who lost the game. A slight smile at the antics of the vampire cracked the steel visage of the butler as the gate closed.

He nodded to the maids beside him to dismiss them as he turned and began to walk to the quarters of the new comers. He would be able to teleport there instantly, but he wanted to use the time to gather his thoughts.

The new comers were very interesting. Despite the fact that they were ordinary humans, they had tremendous potential. The One Power that the woman and girls could wield sounded really useful, and it might be something the homunculus maids in Nazarick could learn. Shalltear had indicated that at least one of the boys could use this power as well, but his seemed different somehow. The swordsman (Warder, as Moiraine called him) was also very interesting. He was definitely more skilled than anyone else in this world when it came to raw techniques alone. His inability to use magic would put him at a distinct disadvantage though, but the butler felt that the gap could be overcome.

But Moiraine was definitely the most interesting of them all by far. She was a skilled politician – for a human. He had heard about the human Demiurge was excited about, but he felt that this Moiraine might give her a run for her money in terms of politicking alone, irrespective of all the genius of Demiurge's pet. He himself had little to no interest in politics, yet that did not mean that he could not appreciate the sheer skill it took to play the game expertly. It was one of Ainz-sama's greatest strengths, despite all his insistence on it being pure luck.

The rest of the party was of no consequence, but Sebas was a hundred percent sure that it was only temporary.

He stopped at the door to their quarters, nodded to the Death Knights that stood at their door, and rang. A few moments later, Lan, eyeing the Death Knights warily, held the door open for him as he stepped through.

Their quarters were modest by Nazarick standards. However, from his mission living among humans, he knew that it was quite lavish. The door opened into a passageway, which in turn opened into a well furnished living room/dining room. At the end of the room, another door led to the eight suites that made up the quarters.

He turned his attention to the Aes Sedai seated sedately watching him, her only reaction being a slight flush in her cheeks.

"Moiraine," he began with a slight nod at her, "Are the quarters to your liking?"

"They are indeed, Sebas," she replied.

"That is good," he replied. "The guards at your door will not intrude, and will never attack you – never fear," he continued.

"The gesture is appreciated," she replied. "However, I would have thought that surely nothing can attack here, the centre of power of Ainz Ooal Gown?"

Sebas fought down irritation at the tone that accompanied the casual way she mentioned the name of his master. He knew she was fishing, and saw no reason not to give her something for her efforts.

"Here?" he replied, feigning shock. "This is just an outpost of Nazarick, built to draw attention. Ainz-sama likes to give us opportunities to do things for him - despite the fact that he need no help from us. A chance to destroy those who would be fool enough to dare attack Nazarick is rare enough that the guardians jostle for it. It is part of what makes Ainz-sama such a superior Lord."

There was no reaction from the woman to the information, so he continued.

"However, take a care with how you address Ainz-sama. There are colleagues of mine – Shalltear being one of them – who would rip out your tongue for such a careless mode of address. Those are the reasonable ones. You and your party cannot afford such a slip. You might be under the protection of Ainz-sama, but it will only be for as long as you interest him and hold the good will or indifference of the rest of Nazarick – and immortals have long memories."

He felt the animosity from her warder at the thinly veiled threat, but ignored it. The best thing he could do for them in this situation was make it easier for the other guardians to decide to help them – he already had. After all, helping those in need was common sense, but only to a distinct minority of guardians. With Ainz-sama hesitant to give too many direct orders regarding this operation, he would have to focus on convincing the others.

"That was uncalled for, I admit," she replied, finally making reference to her thinly veiled insult. "I beg your pardon."

Sebas nodded as he turned to take his leave.

"Now, please rest," he began. "I will require a more complete account of your situation once you are rested. If you require anything, just speak out clearly and the maids will bring it here.

* * *

_..._

The beginnings of consciousness stirred within the collective of the abomination. It, they – it made no difference – had indulged hunger, sating appetite by feeding on the wildlife, and gathering mass. Unfortunately, it had found only the beginnings of sentient life. Its members roamed the surface, consolidating its hold on its chosen centre, while the mass of what was rapidly becoming a consciousness followed eons old instincts, and burrowed deeper into the ground, seeking the life that filled the earth.


	10. Chapter 10

**THE WHEEL AND THE GREAT TOMB OF NAZARICK**

**A FAN FICTION BY BUF_BUODA**

CHAPTER 10

* * *

_AN: Hello! Forgive me for the very, very, very late update. I've had to spend some time away from this fic because I found that I'd written myself into a metaphorical roundabout. I'd been sitting on this chapter for months - literally since July. There were a lot of ways I could take the story - wanted to take the story, but I think I've finally chosen one. For those who liked, subscribed, and reviewed, thank you! I hope you like this new chapter._

* * *

_Nazarick..._

Excitement coursed through the metaphorical heart of the Overlord of the Tomb of Nazarick. His emotion dampener kicked in, draining the fire of excitement, but he still felt satisfied – even with the dregs left behind. He felt the way he felt when the original guild – Nine's Own Goal – was exploring Yggdrasil for the first time; full of eager anticipation.

'_I had almost forgotten this feeling,'_ he thought to himself. _'This feeling of seemingly endless possibilities waiting to be explored is the best,' _he thought as he lay on his bed and relaxed.

Since the _Isekai Event_ that brought him to Nazarick in the flesh (or bone), and then brought Nazarick and its inhabitants _here_, he engaged in what the maids had taken to calling _The Secret Ritual of the Supreme One_ – mostly because he always drove them out before doing so. The ritual was, simply put, a thorough romp alone in his impossibly comfortable bed. As an Overlord, he didn't need rest or sleep. Yet, he discovered that it was pleasant to lie in the bed and just do nothing. He had always done this alone – until now.

A being of indescribable beauty lay beside him. Her horns lightly scraped his jawbone as she made minute adjustments to make herself more comfortable with her head on his ribcage. The first time she walked in on him rolling around in the bed was extremely awkward for him – not least because she promptly joined him, somehow losing her clothes in the time it took to cross from his door to his bed. He had painstakingly explained to the painfully horny succubus that this was his equivalent of rest/sleep. It only made the situation slightly less tolerable – she had immediately cuddled up with him as opposed to trying (and nearly succeeding) to rip off his robes, despite their durability stats.

"As your bride to be, I cannot allow myself to miss out on this intimate time between just the two of us," she'd declared rather happily, a strange quality to her voice. He did not have the heart to resist her. After all, what would his reason for resisting be?

That same night, she moved into his quarters. She did not join him in his room, thankfully. Rather, she took the bedroom adjacent to his in his suite. He was secretly grateful that she was so assertive – he would never be able to bring himself to chase her the way the smut and romance rags he'd read as a teenager insisted that women loved to be chased.

He was in one of those situations again, but the feeling of excitement was not because of the beauty on his ribcage – or at least not because of her appearance. His giddiness was at what she had told him.

The update on the strangers was the most exciting thing he'd heard since he levelled up. A new world to explore, new magic to learn, new skills to master, and a new enemy to defeat – all the stuff that good adventures were made of. As the dampener washed away the excitement, he began to think about the challenges he might face. There was the ever present danger of meeting something that was stronger than Nazarick. He was still no closer to finding out who messed with Shalltear – and with the introduction of new factors, the search was now more complicated. Not to mention this Dark One that seemed to be the antagonist of the new comers.

He mulled over Moiraine's request for aid. He had already decided to help her – not least because it would be a way to gain the gratitude of the woman and by extension those she represented. Thankfully, Albedo was against giving aid to this so-called 'Dark One' without eventually viciously back stabbing him - probably because he laid claim to a title she felt rightly belonged to him. The possibility for Nazarick to benefit from playing both sides was immense.

"Albedo," he said, speaking to the comfortably situated succubus. She looked up at him through night black locks.

"We should go to the office. We need to discuss what to do about this information you have brought me."

The succubus rose, albeit hesitantly. She was more comfortable showing him a wider range of her emotions now that she was no longer vying for his heart (in her mind).

He rose as well, and noticed her bringing her hand to her forehead as though to begin a [Message] spell.

"There is no need for that," he said, catching her hand before it got to her forehead. She blushed at the deliberate contact.

"Are we not meeting with the floor guardians?" she asked.

"Eventually," replied Ainz as he got to his feet. "I want to discuss this with you alone first."

Albedo pouted.

The gesture caught the Overlord flat footed.

"If we are not meeting the others, why can't we discuss right here?" asked Albedo.

Ainz's thoughts raced desperately as he tried to think of something to say to her. He resisted the urge to ignore her question mysteriously.

'_I'm the one that talked a big game about their character development. I have to back it up too,'_ Ainz thought, grateful for the limiter as it washed away the trepidation he always felt whenever the guardians questioned him.

He cleared his throat, and decided to say the truth.

"Umu, with you so close and in an intimate setting, it would be difficult for me to concentrate on the task at hand."

The succubus took what he said in a manner entirely different from what he intended if her deepening blush was any indicator.

"Well, when you put it that way..." the woman said as she rose. Her pout had disappeared, and was replaced by a pleased smile.

'_Somehow I said the right thing. Thank you, haxed luck!'_ thought Ainz with a mental fist pump while the succubus straightened her gown and put her business face on as she strolled from his room. He would be eternally grateful in situations like this that his libido (and indeed the organ for expressing said libido) was almost non-existent - not like that would be a problem someone like Albedo could not get around. He just knew that Peroronchino would curse him for 'not indulging the pleasures of the fairer sex'. The man could wax poetic about the weirdest things – usually shortly before sending a link to a steamy lemon or ten. As he strode out of the bedchamber behind Albedo, he could not help the wave of nostalgia at the memory.

* * *

_Visitor's Quarters, Little Nazarick..._

'_What kind of person calls his domain a tomb?'_

That was the summary of what was bouncing around in Rand Al Thor's head as he lay draped on the arm of a couch in the quarters they were given. He glanced at the person who stood patiently at the door, waiting for the rest of their group to emerge from their bedchambers. The beautiful woman paid him no mind, her face carefully neutral yet otherworldly in its perfection. Unlike the maids Yuri and Lupusregina, her uniform was mere clothing – or at least seemed like it. She had arrived a few moments ago and announced that they were "summoned by Ainz-sama at their leisure." Of course none of them were actually stupid enough to think that it meant anything besides "as quickly as possible".

His hand tightened on the scabbard of his sword.

His sword.

He could not pinpoint exactly when he stopped thinking about the sword as his father's sword. He still remembered that desperate flight from the Two Rivers. It felt like it had happened a lifetime ago.

He heard a door open, and the women came outside, dressed like they were going for a ball. Perrin roused himself from where he sat as the women crowded the sitting room. Mat remained leaning against the wall, his hands clenching the hilt of the dagger till his knuckles were white. Rising, Rand joined him, facing the maid at the door, and summoning the void for comfort.

Lan strode up to the maid, and indicated that they were ready.

Few moments later, the door opened and the little girl that had been with Sebas when they met him walked inside.

She was immaculate, as usual. Her blood red eyes took them all in and a smirk sneaked onto her face.

"Be grateful, worms," she began as the smirk grew to a sneer. "Ainz-sama has been gracious enough to take interest in you."

"Maybe if she had a bigger chest, she would not be this grumpy," Mat muttered under his breath.

Apparently, he had not been quiet enough.

In a moment of blinding agony, the void shattered, and Rand was on his knees. The air felt like the entire sky had crowded itself into the room. The girl was glaring at Mat, whose muscles had frozen, leaving him leaning against the wall, gasping for breath that never came. Rand felt warm liquid trickle down the sides of his head as his vision blurred, waves of red and purple lashing at the air.

"Shalltear," came the cold voice of the butler as he strode into the room leisurely.

"Sebas," she replied, never taking her eyes off Mat. "Ainz-sama might not need all of them after all. Can I have him?"

Rand could not turn his head to even glance at the others from his peripheral vision.

Sebas chuckled as he shook his head.

"He would not last very long, Shalltear-san. Perhaps if Ainz-sama is done with them and the fool has managed not to insult him, you can ask Ainz-sama."

The girl smiled, and it was the most terrible thing Rand had ever seen.

Abruptly, the atmosphere was back to normal. He heard the quiet sigh of relief from Loial – if bees the size of horses could be quiet. Bringing up his hands to the sides of his head, he touched the liquid that was running down. It was blood. Mat fared no better. Blood poured from his ears and nose, and he slumped against Rand almost immediately.

Moiraine glided to them immediately. Her face was carefully neutral, but rage lit her eyes up as she grabbed his head. A familiar feeling of cold gripped him as she wove the flows that would heal him. Turning to Mat, she grabbed his head as well and the stiffening was a telltale sign that she was healing him as well.

"We will have words," was all she said before gliding out towards the Butler who was waiting beside a tear in reality – the sort that had brought them here in the first place.

"I would suggest muzzling your fool," Sebas said to the Aes Sedai casually as she walked to the gate, somehow still conveying the aura of kindness as he delivered the casual insult. She nodded once before stepping in, followed by the rest, Mat very carefully not making any form of eye contact with Shalltear or Sebas. Lan brought up the rear and the gate deposited in what seemed to be a hall.

"Follow me," said Sebas as he strode down the hall.

The journey through the hall seemed like it lasted just an instant. The floors were made of a material that Rand had never seen in his life. It was studded with what looked like tiny jewels that seemed to glow from within themselves. The hall was brightly lit, even though there was no direct, visible source of light. Statues and suits of armour hung from the walls. The statues were of fantastic beings; impossible beings; beings whose shapes made no sense. The armour seemed nearly alive, as though it was on the verge of motion. Tapestries of unimaginable value filled the space between the suits of armour. Scenes involving some of the creatures portrayed by the statues were depicted in moving paintings that were so realistic it seemed like magic. Crystals of impossible size hung on chandeliers, glittering with an otherworldly light that somehow conveyed power, not illumination.

He tore his eyes away from the hall when they stopped. He had been looking around like a country bumpkin, but he was fairly certain that there were palaces less ornate than the hall they had just walked through; a hall that was in a place called a tomb.

They arrived at a hemispherical room that looked like a theatre – probably a waiting room. A pair of vast double doors stood at the other end of the room, commanding the most attention. Intricate carvings decorated both sides of the doors; a beautiful goddess reaching out on the right, and a cruel-looking creature grabbing at something on the left. The hands of the two formed the handles of the massive doors.

'_Judgement,'_ thought Rand, a shudder passing through him as he looked at the doors. _'Those doors are doors of judgement,'_

Tearing his eyes away, he saw ominous-looking statues arrayed side by side around the entire room like guards.

Silence filled the room, save for the heels of the party striking the floor. He glanced at the rest of the group. Sebas looked like he always did – serious and focused. Shalltear looked like she was filled with anticipation, a small smile on her face. Whatever was behind those doors was something she definitely liked. Moiraine looked determined, and her warder beside her was completely blank, his face like one of the statues that guarded the room for all the emotion on it. Perrin and Loial looked subdued, a sharp contrast to the gleam in Mat's eyes as he took in the vast treasure around them. The gleam was replaced by terror as Shalltear's eyes flicked to his, and her smile widened – a predator smiling at sheep. Nynaeve had her braid in her hands, looking determined yet on the verge of passing out. Egwene was a mirror of the normally fiery woman, except for her hands clenched firmly on her skirts.

Besides Moiraine and Lan, everyone else had shoulders that were drawn in, as though they were being reminded of their place by the things around them.

"We have arrived, and Ainz-sama waits within. Compose yourselves," said Sebas as he strode to the doors.

The maid that accompanied them bowed to them and stepped back, her part over.

As though waiting for that, the vast double doors swung slowly open of their own accord.

The ceiling that came into view was very high and very impossibly wide, covered with murals and crystals of blinding brilliance. The walls were a white so brilliant it was nearly unbearable. Patterns of gold streaked through the white in intricate patterns that bedevilled the eyes.

Chandeliers in the shapes of the open maws of great creatures, and bearing crystals and precious stones hung from the ceiling, radiating an eerie light.

Pillars bridged the gap between floor and ceiling – forty that Rand could count, twenty on each side. The pillars looked to be made from a strange material, and flags hung on their length, each bearing a different pattern of device.

The party stepped through the doors, trailing behind Sebas and Shalltear, and promptly stopped, unable to move.

An oppressive aura filled the room, and its epicentre seemed to be the magnificent throne on the raised dais at the end of the throne room.

Sebas and Shalltear continued forward, paying the terrified party no mind. Two maids approached the group, and Rand noticed the maids lining the sides of the throne room for the first time.

"Come forward," said the maids in perfect unison as their voices seemed to break the spell on the group.

Slowly, they began their journey down the carpet that ran down from the dais to the doors.

About a quarter of the way in, the single file of beautiful maids on each side became a double file of horrors.

Skeletons in otherworldly golden armour stood bearing halberds in front of huge, two meters monstrosities in black, thorny armour, and bearing tower shields and rippled swords coated in a black fog streaked with red.

About twenty metres from the dais, the maids halted the party. Sebas and Shalltear had taken their place at the foot of the dais when a portal opened beside the throne, and two strange children skipped out with barely concealed excitement.

* * *

'_They're adorable,'_ thought Egwene, despite herself.

The journey to the throne room was the most nerve wracking experience of her life. She had thought that the journey through the Ways and Machin Shin were going to remain at the top of her list for the rest of her life. A simple stroll through the hall of this _Tomb_ disabused her of the notion. She saw _statues_ that were more horrible than Machin Shin; that seemed to draw a moan of despair from the very soul . The door opening into the throne room was simultaneously the most beautiful, and the most horrific thing she had ever experienced. It felt like her heart was held in hands that were comforting and soothing when she glanced at the creature of light. She could almost feel like she was truly sheltered by the hands of the creator. On the other hand, glancing at the creature of darkness, she could swear that the feeling of scaled, clawed hands around her heart was real. Despair as black as night made the soothing of the creature of light seem like a lifetime away rather than just a flick of the eyes. It sought to crush her very soul, not because of insanity (like Machin Shin), but out of mere boredom, like a spoiled child that reflexively ate pastries. She almost could not glance away, and the feeling of gradually attracting the attention of the creature grew the longer she looked at it. Nynaeve's whispered insistence that it was "just a door" lacked any conviction at all. She managed to swing her gaze back to the creature of light, and soon the despair was like a dream. Yet, it was with great relief that she left the door behind.

The children were identical twins, distinguishable only by their clothing. They were definitely not human – although she could not tell what they were. They both had dark skin and pointed ears, blonde hair, and heterochromic eyes that were large for their faces. The male looked like a dominant, confident child. He wore a reddish-black shirt of unknown material, and a white and gold vest with matching trousers, brown gloves, and shoes that looked gold-plated. The sister was more reserved – shy even. She wore what looked like a blue shirt under a white and gold vest with a matching pleated mini skirt, long white stockings, and strange high boots. Her slender hands were covered with white gloves, and she wielded a twisted, black staff.

'_This tomb can't be that bad,'_ thought Egwene as she rapidly took in the appearance of the children that bounded down the dais to stand just behind Sebas and Shalltear. The pair that came through the portal next thoroughly disabused her of the notion.

Her breath hitched as the first of the pair strode out; a massive insect over 2 metres tall. The air seemed to freeze around it, and the frost was nearly visible like an aura. Sharp spikes that looked like icicles covered its body and extended down to its massive tail. It held a halberd as tall as it was, and its mandibles clicked together as it stood just below the throne.

The second of the pair stood opposite the large insect. It was about as tall as an average sized adult man, and wore a striped, narrow, orange coat cut in a strange style with matching trousers. Its shirt was brilliant white, and an orange narrow cloth wrapped around and under the collar of the shirt in a strange tie, with the excess tucked into the coat. If you could ignore the frog head and plated tail, it looked almost human. An air of anticipation hung around it.

She could feel her heart pounding as she struggled to keep her eyes away from the massive insect. She had been getting lulled into thinking that the tomb was _'not that bad, just different,'_ but the insect was the bucket of cold water on her face. This was the first, really non human thing she had ever seen up close in this place.

The portal remained open, and two other people stepped out of it. One was a male-looking warrior clad in full body, jet-black armour with two large swords on his back, and a red cape. Compared to the others that came before him, he looked very tame.

The second person was the most intimidating of all that she had encountered so far, but in a different way. Egwene had always been confident in her beauty. She might not be the most beautiful woman she had ever seen (that would have belonged to Lupusregina before this moment), but she had never met anyone who made her feel like a cow. Like a disabled cow. This woman did all that effortlessly, and more. She was like the light given form; perfect form and perfect figure. The horns on her head and the dark wings on her waist did nothing to detract from the beauty. Rather, it seemed like everyone who lacked them was horribly crippled. Her vertically slit pupils sat in golden irises, and her eyes shone with an intelligence that was palpable. She radiated confidence and authority that made Moiraine look like a child playing dress-up. Her eyes flickered over Egwene, and in that short moment, Egwene felt like she had been weighed and dismissed utterly. Such treatment would have put her back up normally, but there was a problem: Nothing about their situation was normal. Yet for all that she looked like light given form, the air of malicious danger pulsed from her. That sense of danger sharpened noticeably for an instant as soon as her eyes fell on Mat. Yet even as she consequently ignored him, Egwene could not help but feel like she still kept a portion of her attention on him.

* * *

As soon as they stepped through the portal leading away from their rooms, Mat's head felt much clearer. He was still reeling from exposure to whatever it was the crazy girl did while looking at him.

'_Me and my goat kissing mouth,'_ he berated himself mentally. How could he have forgotten the horror he saw in Carne that was unleashed by those who were mere maids? How could he be so suicidal?

At any rate, the sudden clarity of mind he felt was so sudden that he couldn't help but notice it - probably as a result of the mind numbing terror he felt at the crazy girl's resolution to 'get him'. There was no scenario in his mind where that could be construed as a remotely good thing. He could only hope that this Ainz _would_ indeed have some use for him. Yet the clarity brought on by the dread was welcome. It was only in that light that he could note the utter clutter that was previously his head. It was as though a voice in his head that sounded just like his own head-voice had suddenly been muffled, allowing him to make the startling discovery that it wasn't actually his. As they progressed down the hall, the riches on display managed to distract him from mulling it over - at least until he felt the hungry gaze of the girl Shalltear. The terror he felt kept him adequately distracted until they passed through the doors leading to what he could only describe later as a throne room.

As they approached the doors, he became more and more conscious of the dagger - mostly because it seemed to be screaming for him to get away from where they were.

'_Whatever is addling me must be really strong for me to think that a bloody dagger is screaming,'_ he thought self-deprecatingly.

Regardless, he could have sworn on his ma's cooking that the dagger shivered when they passed through the doors and into the now revealed throne room.

The throne drew almost all his attention - he still had some left over to note the horrors that lined the path to the throne, and he could never be completely oblivious of the sheer wealth displayed around him. Yet, the throne drew and kept the majority of his attention. Even when their group reached their destination, the throne loomed in his mind. The portal that opened, and the beings that stepped out of it only served as a minor distraction from the enormous presence the throne exuded.

* * *

The power pouring off the creatures that stood on the dais was almost tangible. For the first time, Moiraine encountered creatures so powerful that she could not begin to place them at any level. Even Shalltear looked different – as though she was somehow _more_. All her years of discipline as an Aes Sedai kept her on her feet, and the rock solid alertness that was Lan helped to keep her grounded.

"The Supreme One of the Great Tomb of Nazarick," started the voice of the man frog in the orange, striped coat, "The Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown!" he ended with a voice laced with power.

Moiraine tore her eyes from him in time to see the creature that came out of the portal now.

'_I-is that a... skeleton?'_

The creature was undoubtedly a skeleton. It looked humanoid, but there were slight differences between it and a normal human skeleton

'_Besides the fact that its walking around, that is,'_ she thought to herself dryly.

Then the rest of her perception caught up with her eyes.

Death oozed from the skeleton in waves that made her question how she missed the aura in the first place. It felt like all the despair and terror in the world had been concentrated into the creature that was taking its place on the throne. As it sat and looked at her, it felt like she was looking into her own mortality. Red pinpricks of light flared in the sockets of a skull that was bleached white. She could not tear her eyes away from those pinpricks - those pinpricks that weighed and saw straight into her very soul. The creature, this Ainz Ooal Gown, commanded awe. Then, she realized something else with a start.

'_The look of the eyeless is no longer fear; not after this,' _thought Moiraine. _'Whatever this Ainz Ooal Gown is, he is so far beyond anything I know that I have no frame of reference for categorizing him.'_

Despite all that, neither Ainz Ooal Gown, nor any of the creatures below him gave her the impression of evil, at least in the sense of minions of the Dark One.

Power? Oh yes.

Benevolent danger? Definitely; probably a product of their idea of "good" not being centered in humans.

Maliciousness? Yes.

Evil? Surprisingly, no.

That alone kept a fist of hope alive in her heart.

"Ainz-sama," began Sebas, turning slightly to keep both their party and the throne in view, "This is Moiraine Sedai, her Warder Lan, and the charges under her care. They have been presented for your viewing pleasure, as you commanded," he concluded, gesturing to them in turn as he spoke.

In response, Ainz spoke directly to Moiraine.

"Welcome, Moiraine. It is indeed a pleasure to meet you and your party."

His voice did not match his appearance in the least. It held power and absolute authority, but also had that charisma that commands respect and dedication. She could almost say that Ainz must be ta'veren. It was nearly enough to make her forget the not insignificant fact that he was a skeleton.

Steeling her resolve, she curtseyed slightly like she would before any other ruler – _'It won't do to grovel after all,'_ she thought.

"On behalf of my party and myself, I humbly thank you for your welcome, your Majesty,"

It was impossible to gauge the impact of her greeting on Ainz. After all, a skull had no facial expressions to read. However, it turned out that her greeting was less than appreciated.

"Ainz-sama," began the one that announced his entrance, his amphibian eyes pinning them like they were particularly strange bugs, "it is not fitting for lowly creatures such as these humans to address you like a mere human monarch."

Her heart lurched at his words. Yet before he could continue, Ainz raised a hand.

"I appreciate your concern Demiurge, but it will be unnecessary. I trust our visitors will be on their best behaviour - as they perceive it. After all, unlike Jircniv, they didn't send looters to our beloved home."

That last sentence sounded nearly unbelievable to Moiraine. She could not comprehend the fact that someone had dared send looters to this place. _This place!_

The pinpoints flared as it seemed to focus on her.

"I am not one to take too much stock in formality. Let us set it aside and move into the business of the day."

He gestured at the figure in black full plate as it stepped forward.

"Momon here is closer to humans than most of us. He will hear you, and speak for us concerning whatever you might say."

* * *

For the first time in decades, the White Tower marched into battle in force. Against all odds, the Shienarans had held on, selling every inch of their nation dearly as their non combatants poured out of the nation and into Arafel. Desperate calls for aid had been dispatched as soon as it became obvious that Tarwin's Gap was in real danger of being overrun. Yet, before the first banner of reinforcements arrived, Fal Dara had fallen. Thousands had marched to defend Fal Moran, and the approach leading to the capital. The trollocs paid dearly - at least eight trollocs died for every Shienaran that fell. But the Dark One had trollocs to throw away.

Men cheered when the first of the Aes Sedai party arrived at Fal Moran early that morning. Thirty full sisters and their warders made up the contingent - enough power to turn the tide of any battle. Minus the obvious increase in fighting power, the presence of the Tower in such force meant legitimacy. For the first time since it all started, the Shienarans felt hope. They were not alone.

The party did not stay long in the city. King Easar himself had been on the frontlines since Tarwin's Gap. Lord Agelmar was presumed dead. It was assumed that he fell with Fal Dara, selling his life and the life of his men to render the keep and much of the city uninhabitable for the invading trollocs. The fires had raged for days, and the smoke provided backdrop for the shrinking front, which was now an ever retreating line of death as the trollocs poured in, hoping to bring their superior numbers to bear. In the open field, the Shienaran lances earned their pay. Time and time again, they were used by Easar to devastating effect. The light cavalry had been tasked with keeping their supply lines open, and forming the core of a quick reaction force to stall until their heavier counterparts could be brought to bear.

Easar stepped out of his tent, his personal guards falling into place around him. Word had arrived late last night that the Saldeans had dispatched Davram Bashere with ten thousand men to reinforce the Shienarans. Another ten thousand were expected to arrive from Arafel and Kandor in a few days. However, the most exciting news was from an unexpected source. His men had been approached by a dozen Aiel late last evening.

"The Spears march," was all one of them said before they melted back into the darkness. Hatred for trollocs was one thing they agreed with the Aiel on.

A flurry of activity drew the attention of the king. A party was returning to the camp, and they were flying the banner of Lord Agelmar. Easar changed his direction immediately, angling for the commotion. If Agelmar was truly alive, then the light had indeed been smiling on them with all the good news they had been receiving.

"Your Highness," a breathless messenger intercepted his party, bowing before falling in step with the small knot of men.

Easar gestured for the boy to speak.

"Lord Agelmar is alive. He just arrived at camp with a dozen men, and gave the passwords that were in use when he left us."

While the man was still speaking, another messenger ran up, bowing and joining the party.

Easar acknowledged him with a quick nod, and began to angle for the command tent again.

"Tell Agelmar to join us at the command tent," he said to the first messenger. The boy bowed and shot off.

"Your Highness," began the second messenger, "word arrived from Fal Moran that they are expecting an Aes Sedai party this morning. The Aes Sedai indicated that they would only stop to leave some of their party in the city."

Easar let his face crack in a smile. His situation seemed to be getting better and better. He dismissed the messenger with a small gesture and swept into the command tent. The air of hope hung around the battle hardened commanders who stood around the tent.

'_Would it be too much to ask for Ogier?'_ he thought.

* * *

The small merchant party settled in to make camp for the night. The burly twins that served as guards had been jumpy for some time. They'd wanted to push for a village, and we're completely against camping in the woods. Paran overrode them of course; his trusty Jof had never been wrong in the seven years he'd ridden the donkey. She showed no signs of unease, so the woods were safe. She was infinitely more trustworthy than the two guards, and he would not risk her in a senseless push through the night. The rest of the party set about making camp. The young children ran to gather wood, turning the chore into a game of sort. Weary women and men chattered away. The serenity was shattered by a soft, strange, liquid sound. Silence fell, even on the pack animals. The second time seemed louder in the silence; a sort of skittering sound, and a gurgle of liquid lay underneath the liquid sound this time. The guards fingered their shortswords.

Something greyish launched out of the woods and unto the face of one of the women. They all froze in stupefied shock, unable to tear their gaze from the strange, bulbous sight. Their stupor was broken by the bloodcurdling scream of said woman as the _thing _stuffed it's tentacle-like appendages _through _her neck, like a little octopus from hell. Almost as though the scream was a signal, everything burst into motion. The guards tried to rush the unfortunate woman, but only stopped in horror as the thing wiggled into her screaming mouth, the appendages standing out like grotesque veins running from the now stuffed mouth to the puncture in her neck. Numerous other bulbous creatures materialized as though from thin air, launching themselves at the party in a mass of greyish green appendages. The screams of the party did not last long, and through it all, Jof remained placid, munching grass as though nothing had happened. No one could see the greenish mass in her head, tendrils adapting to harness a less sentient brain. In a few moments after the first blood curdling scream rent the night, there was no one left to wonder at the actions of the supposed loyal donkey.


End file.
